Reunited
by oovwee
Summary: What happens when the former great power of the Pokemon universe is turned upside down? And how do all the Rockets we know and love fall into all this? Blood will spill before it's all over. Rocketshippy and Neoshippy.
1. Searching

"Finally onto something more enjoyable," the slim red-headed girl said to herself while pulling a book out of a tattered backpack. Cracking open her engineering manual, she smiled. This stuff was so much better than the organic chemistry she had just been trying to learn. Although the class was little more than a review to her from previous classes, she still enjoyed looking at the diagrams and quizzing herself over old concepts.

After reviewing various graphs and tables, she closed the book and noticed her stomach was grumbling at her. She had a tendency to study through meals, not that it bothered her. Pulling her hair into a short ponytail (she had cut off her precious long hair long ago), she traipsed into the kitchen and looked through the freezer for a suitable meal choice. She found a foil wrapped dinner and popped it in the oven. Knowing she had a good fifteen minutes to blow before her dinner would be ready; she sat down at her computer desk.

Her first task was to turn on some suitable music. The apartment was always quiet due to her roommate usually being gone with this day as no exception. She turned on one of her favorite playlists and checked her e-mail. Other than the various class and organization announcements, there wasn't much to look at. It didn't surprise her much, personal e-mail was not something she got very much of. Working two jobs and being a full-time student didn't allow for much social time. Making notes of a few things she needed to remember in her planner, she closed the lid on the laptop and listened to the song currently playing. It was a fairly angsty tune she had been in the mood for lately. She had been dealing with small bouts of depression and was always trying to convince herself that she wasn't working too much.

Her eyes fell to a picture near her laptop again. About a week ago, she had come across a box of things form a former life; pictures, costume pieces, tattered notes and plans. It really was a bunch of junk, but to her, it still meant a lot. The picture near her computer was of her at about 22 and a male about the same age. They were at a festival dressed in shorts and t-shirts, both smiling and showing treats they had purchased from street vendors. It was the only picture she had been allowed to keep after leaving Team Rocket. Because she had cut a deal with an Officer Jenny in reward for precious secrets, her and her friends were considered free after a significant rewrite was done on their records. All three team members were advised to settle in different places, without divulging their whereabouts to one another. It had been painful to leave her friends, but Jessie knew that it was the best thing at the time.

After leaving Team Rocket, Jessie had settled in a small town not too far from Veridian City. She had no real ties to the town, but there was a nice university there she had hoped to gain entrance to. It took a few months of studying, but when she took the test for admission, Jessie blew away the competition and received a top spot and full scholarship into the class. Now nearing the end of her junior year, she was proud of her accomplishments but dealing with being alone. With a huge chunk of her life that she couldn't really explain to any of her classmates, she was always an outcast (even the small group of people she tried to tell thought she was lying to them). She tried not to be hurt by this, but she always valued human companionship. Her only friend was a surprising old foe that had allowed her to watch the apartment for her. Cassidy and Jessie had never gotten along, but Cassidy needed someone to watch the apartment and put up the appearances of two people living there and Jessie needed somewhere to stay. The two met a strange agreement, as each had dirt on the other that could get one another killed. Cassidy never divulged to the team the whereabouts of the deserter, while Jessie never told anyone about Cassidy and Butch's 'not so secret' relationship.

After looking at the picture for a while, Jessie moved to a couch and looked through other things in the box of things she kept from her Team Rocket days. None of the items said Team Rocket, of course, and most were relatively pointless. The majority of the items consisted of tattered IOU's and 'OVERDUE' notices. Sure, she had never had much in the way of money when she was on the team, but she was happy.

"And skinnier," the red-head chuckled to herself while holding up a skirt she had pulled out of the box. It was barely more than a fabric tatter, and she had worn it on numerous occasions. Jessie laughed and looked at the outfit she was wearing currently. Although she was not heavy by any means, lack of physical movement and lots of studying had let to development of small love handles and a bit of meat on her thighs. "Not something I would dare to wear now," she added with a sigh. She still valued her looks, but was much less dramatic. Her hair was now a medium length with no large flip at the end, and she normally chose to wear jeans and sweaters, not tiny skirts and thigh-high boots. At twenty-five, she was definitely a different person. She really realized this when she had inadvertently ran into two members of the former 'twerp trio' at the restaurant where she was a waitress. It had been Ash and Misty, going out on a date and making googly eyes at one another. Jessie was afraid the two twitterpated teens would recognize her, but neither even paid her a second look throughout the whole meal, even when she had let it slip that she knew their names without them telling her.

Digging to the very bottom of the box, she found something that brought a tear to her eyes. It was an old dried up and pressed rose, the one James had given her when the trio had split up for good. He had told her it was to remember him by. She picked up the rose, smiling and gently stroked the papery leaves. It was one of many that James had carried when he knew her. He had always tried to carry a rose as a symbol of who he was. She had no clue how a rose was such a symbol, but it was one of his characteristics that she had always admired.

It was then she came to a conclusion "It's been two years," the former Team Rocket agent started, "if Giovanni had truly wanted us gone, it would have happened by now." Without being cocky, Jessie knew she could locate James and Meowth if she wanted to. She had known it for a long time and had been tempted many a time before, but she had never done it. After a few horrible weeks at school and finals coming up in a few short days, she came up with a plan. A smile passed her small lips, "I always _was_ the inventive one between the three of us," she thought aloud. She knew she had just the plan to see her friends again.


	2. A Fresh Start

I know this chapter is super short :( I just needed something to get the point across, and as much as I love James/Kojiro, Jessie is much easier for me to write.

* * *

"Alright, Growlie. This is the last box, I promise!" A man in his mid-twenties with lavender hair wiped sweat from his brow. "I never knew there was so much stuff in here!" Pouring a glass of lemonade for himself, he also splashed some into a bowl on the floor for his trusty companion. Growlie eagerly lapped up the sweet drink and thanked his trainer with kisses on the face.

"Oh! You're getting me all sticky!" his trainer replied between giggle fits. The Pokemon eventually stopped and nuzzled his trainer some before readying himself to pull the last load of boxes that had been put on their makeshift cart.

"After this load, I promise you a nice cool bath," the man said. Looking down at his grungy shirt he added "and then a nice hot shower for me." He walked beside his faithful companion to the moving truck so he could load the boxes.

"You know, Growlie?" James asked, picking up a medium sized box and strategically placing it in the vehicle, "It's been a really strange few months, and I'm glad I had you there with me." James sat on the end of the tailgate and patted his trusted friend on the head. It really had been a strange few months. After Team Rocket's dismantling, James had roamed from city to city for a while, doing odd jobs. He settled in a small town in the Johto region for a while and had a steady well paying job, but still wasn't happy. It wasn't but a year before he received word that his parents were in poor health. Fearing this to be another trick, James returned to his parent's home cautiously, but was greeted by the truth: his parents weren't going to be along much longer. Jessiebelle had long left the estate, and had married a doctor in a neighboring town. James had hoped that his parents would feel different now that James would be taking over the family fortune sooner than suspected, but both his mother and father were still stuck on trying to make James into a 'well-bred gentleman' who was 'capable of producing a suitable heir'. Even when his mother was unable to get out of bed, she would never stop criticizing James's actions. She had once told him he was not walking properly enough when he was removing a bed pan from under her. The nagging was almost laughable, but it was sad as well. Although James had little to no feelings for his parents, he couldn't not help them. It was Growlie that kept him going day by day. After caring for his parents most days (he knew he could hire an in-home nurse easy enough, but he just felt bad hiring one full-time) James would visit Growlie in his 'dog house'. Growlie would listen to James's complaints, be a sounding board for all ideas, and be a shoulder to cry on. Growlie had nothing but the greatest respect for his master. When his parents had passed on a few weeks ago (both within a week, once his father died, his mother had no will) James had done nothing but lay around. With Growlie's persistent motivation, however, James had found the will and want to clean up the main mansion for restoration and selling.

"I guess I spaced out there for a while, didn't I Growlie?" James replied wiping attempted tears out of his eyes. "Let's get this done, so we can hit the showers and relax."

"Grooowlithe," was the enthusiastic reply from the Pokemon.

After loading all the boxes into the truck and locking everything up for the day, the two best friends raced to the backyard of Growlithe's abode, where the two had taken up residence. James grabbed some good Growlithe shampoo and some treats for his friend before stepping outside and finding a garden hose. "Let's clean you up you dirty dirty boy," he said with a silly grin.

After the two companions were nice and clean, James whipped up some nice dinner and both took residence on a sofa watching a game show on the television. Everything was perfect. Almost. And that part didn't make sense to James. What was missing? He didn't live in fear anymore, he had a great companion by his side, and he was never far from a hot meal (and the occasional doughnut), but something was still missing. Growlithe noticed the intense look on his master's face and licked James's hand.

"Thanks, boy," James said with a sigh. "I just don't understand it. Finally everything seems to be going my way and I'm just as lonely and confused as I ever was." Noticing the look on his pal's face he added, "No offense. You are my best friend, but sometimes I think I wouldn't mind some human companionship."

Growlie understood. It wasn't as if James could understand the Pokemon's howled contortions of his own name. Growlie needed nothing more than his master, especially after going so long without him, but he understood that James needed more (although the Pokemon sorely hoped that he would never be left home again). The Pokemon nuzzled close to his trainer, and both fell sound asleep.

* * *

Again, I apologize for the lack of length. My writing bouts are not too long at the moment...probably because I'm trying to avoid how bad Rocketshipping fics can get so fast.

Hopefully the next chapter will be up somewhat soon (maybe tonight...if I can stop watching AMVs on Youtube once I get home from work!)


	3. Unfortunate Truths

Tah-Da! I was talking to my boss, and an idea struck me. I hope this reads alright. I relate so damn well with Jessie that I'm afraid I try to get too 'into' her. Cassidy is oh so fun to write for however...Maybe she'll end up with a bigger part that I originally though.

* * *

"No. NO!" Jessie screamed while looking at her computer screen.

"You always had a flair for the dramatic, Jess," the rarely-home Cassidy said while rolling her eyes. "What? Did miss goody get a B on a paper or something?" Cassidy was going to continue her taunting until she saw tears flowing down Jessie's face. Not knowing what to do, Cassidy made a quick escape to her bedroom. Cassidy didn't out and out _hate_ Jessie, but she wasn't about to play a role of comforter to her.

Jessie continued to look at the screen, tears flowing down her cheeks. With trembling fingers, she clicked on the attachment on the e-mail sent to her. It was a small blurb, not even a real article. No one probably even read it. Jessie's eyes flooded over again and she read the small bit.It was from a small town paper—Jessie had never even heard of the town. The article was about a 'mysterious' disappearance and a brutal body found of a former Team Rocket member. Jessie's heart sank. She couldn't handle it. She saw there was another article attached as well, but Jessie didn't even have the heart. The message in the e-mail was from a friend in the computer science department of her school. It simply read 'I hope these weren't your friends, Jessie. Looks like a former life of crime doesn't pay." When Jessie had approached her friend about finding out what happened to James and Meowth, she made up a story about writing a paper and wanted to find out what happened to particular ex Team Rocket members. She had made up a whole bunch of names but added James and Meowth's to the mix. Since the friend had helped work on many different databases where information had been changed, she knew that he would be the most likely to find them.

Cassidy could still hear the sobs in her room. She knew Jess was dramatic, but _this_ much? Something was going on. Something she would have to find out later. Cassidy slipped on a small black dress and zipped up her boots. Her and Butch were one of the few remaining Team Rocket members still around. Even though Team Rocket had been 'disbanded', Giovanni kept a few of his best agents to attempt to rebuild the organization. Cassidy was one of those lucky few. She didn't sport a red R on her shirt, anymore, but she wore a similar style of clothing, as she was accustomed to it and she knew how to make it work for her. Looking in the mirror she gave a small smile "Unlike weeping Jessica in there, I still have my figure," the blonde added with a wink. She almost felt sorry for Jessie, though—something she wasn't so sure about. Cassidy was out on a small mission today. She simply had to go observe a meeting of a group of scientists proposing how tissue can be regenerated. It would be a bore to her, but the boss had invested interest in the information. Leaving her room and walking to the door as quickly as possible, she left the stoic Jessie sitting on the couch.

Jessie heard Cassidy leave, but it meant nothing. There wasn't a thing in the world that would mean anything to her at that moment. She was alone. Even if she had been on her own for months now, she was really alone. Although she had not seen James or Meowth in almost two years, it was still too much to believe. They were simply 'gone'. She was sure it was no coincidence either. They were gone, and Team Rocket was to blame. The thought terrified her. What if Cassidy slipped up one night and divulged Jessie's whereabouts? Cassidy did have a loose tongue after a few shots of vodka. It probably wouldn't happen, however. Cassidy would be just as dead as Jessie if the boss found out (and when you're both 'just as dead' it doesn't matter who is in worse trouble). Still, the thoughts continued to paralyze Jessie. Everything did. After her mother's death, she never had a real family. Not until James and Meowth came along. Sure, they were annoying, complained a lot, and blundered many plans, but they were as close to a family as Jessie would ever have. "And they're gone," Jessie's lips whispered the words, saying them and admitting them true. She was alone. Truly alone. In her mind, she had always imagined that the team wasn't seperated forever. She had always assumed the three would be together again someday, in some way. Jessie simply sat there, trapped within her own mind. Fleetingly, she remembered a paper she had due tomorrow, but she simply scoffed. What was it for? A decent paying job where she got to push papers or some other mundane task at least 40 hours a week. Happiness wasn't there, happiness for her was what she was. Running around having fun with her friends. She didn't even really mind the twerps either. They were good people and that was probably the reason so many attempts to steal the precious Pikachu failed.

Jessie continued to sit in her thoughts for hours. She replayed so many memories in her mind. Her childhood, troubled teenage years, and her first 10 Team Rocket Partners all spun through her head contesting to what she was without her friends. Curling into fetal position in the sofa chair she was sitting in, she began to replay the times with James and Meowth. There was a lot of bickering, griping, and fights, but there was always friendship above everything. Running her mind at full speed soon exhausted her, and she slipped into a deep sleep.

'I don't see her,' Cassidy thought to herself. Peering a little more, she saw Jessie curled up on the chair. Telling Butch to stay in the hallway, she went to investigate. Jess was asleep, alright, but she didn't look good. Even sleeping, she had little to no color in her face, and tears had run mascara down her face. The pillow she was lying on was also covered with salty spots where tears had fallen. Something came over Cassidy, and she realized that Jessie probably needed her sleep, even if her tears had stained and messed up her suede pillow. Going out in the hall, she made a quick excuse to Butch about postponing their 'post-job celebration' and hastily shut the door before he had a chance to complain.

Walking back into the living area, Cassidy took a blanket off the back of a chair and spread it out over Jessie. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered while grabbing another pillow for herself and laying down on the couch. If something had hurt Jessie that bad, she probably wouldn't be in the best of mental states when she woke up. "She better pay all the rent next month," Cassidy spat out before falling asleep herself.

* * *

So yeah...wtf? right? Stay tuned ;) 


	4. Moving Right Along

Here's chapter 4. I had to start and finish this one several times because I never could start it how I liked it!

* * *

James had to resist from squealing when he signed the paperwork "So it's all done?" he asked while sharing a grin with the ever-present Growlie.

"Yes, sir," the young real estate agent replied. "The buyers are eager to move in".

"Well it's all theirs." James said while scrawling his name on the line.

"You're….already done moving?!" the agent stammered.

"Done as can be. I'm keeping the house to the side", James said in reference to the 'dog house, "but I probably won't be there much. I just want it as a back-up. I've got plenty of summer homes to stay at".

The agent was amazed at this man's flippant attitude towards money. The man had not balked at how high of a percentage the firm had asked for, and even threw extra in the deal for him. He appreciated the offer, but was amazed by James' attitude.

"Well if that's everything, we'll be on our way," James said while getting out of the chair he was sitting in. Grabbing a business card off the desk he added, "You've been a real good guy, if I ever decided to sell anything else, I'll give you a call."

As James and Growlithe stepped outside, the dappled sunlight was a warm and pleasant feeling. "Let's get away from here for a while, Growlie," James said to his partner while opening up the car door for him. James had tried to find the oldest car in the garage, but the oldest was a model only two years old. It actually didn't scream 'I have money', so James wasn't sure why his parents had it. Shrugging away the thought, he opened the driver's door and got in.

It was no surprise the two were going to leave the town. James had packed suitcases last night and put them in the trunk. The only problem was where to go?

James pulled out a map of the Kantu region and looked at all the white dots that represented property owned by his family. "Well, Growlie," he said with a chuckle, "we can pretty much go anywhere we wish." I think there's somewhere to stay in every town."

Growlie's response was only to cock his head from the passenger seat and give a confused "Growl?"

"You're a lot of help!" James laughed and scratched Growlithe's head. "Hmm.." he began, thinking aloud, "I've always wanted to go to Pallet, but I have a feeling I wouldn't be welcomed if anyone recognized me." Time had not done too much to the former Team Rocket member, and the only physical difference was some muscle definition he had gained in his family's gym. "It's a shame, too. I'm actually intrigued by Professor Oak's work." James started up the car so the air conditioner would begin to run. "There's quite a few places, but the only house I really remember is actually an apartment in Viridian city. That would be perfect for us, Growlie!"

"Growlithe, lithe!" the Pokemon said excitedly. Growlithe was just happy to be travelling with his trainer. It wasn't the most conventional way for a trainer and Pokemon to travel, but Growlithe was alright with that. He wasn't the youngest Pokemon around."

It was only a three hour drive, broken up by two bathroom/refueling/junk food stops. Both Pokemon and trainer were anxious to get to their new home. It was nearing dusk as the two drove up to the apartment building. It was nicer than James would have actually preferred, but it was a no-hassle opportunity and James liked that. After wandering around a bit, James found the apartment that matched his key (which, of course, was one of the nicest apartments in the building) and opened the door. The apartment was one his dad had used for business trips, so it wasn't too large. As everything his parents had owned, it was nothing short of perfect and showed class and composure all around. To James, however, it just looked bland.

"We'll get some color to spice this place up later, but let's go find somewhere to eat!" James said while thrusting a duffel bag off his shoulder.

"Grooowlithe," the Pokemon responded with enthusiasm.

The two had managed to find a buffet that served Pokemon suitable food as well and had had a wonderful dinner. It was a peaceful dinner, and afterwards, the two companions walked the town and acquainted themselves with all the local shops. James had been to this town for various reasons before, but he actually knew very little about the commerce inside the town, all his experience had dealt with hidden supplies and secret bases. It was a nice feeling to be in the city as a normal citizen. The two reached the apartment after dark but didn't mind. James watched the local news while Growlithe napped with his head on his trainer's lap. After digesting the small-town stories for the night, James carefully moved out from under Growlithe and made his way to the bedroom. It wasn't long, however, before Growlithe stirred and noticed his missing friend. James had just turned off the light and settled into bed in his pajamas when Growlithe bounded up on the bed and snuggled his trainer's neck.

James laughed "I was wondering when you would come and find me. You're my best friend and all but away from the neck, it tickles!"

Growlithe settled at the end of the bed and let out a big sigh before closing his eyes and attempting sleep. James smiled at his friend and began to make mental checklists of everything that had to be done in the morning.

* * *

So the next chapter will turn back to Jessie..since I kinda left that part hanging. Hopefully I'll have time to write this weekend! Happy reading! 


	5. Fresh Starts

Alright so I had to write it. I love the interaction between Jessie and Cassidy so much...I just couldn't resist!

* * *

It was still there on her monitor when she peeked her eyes open the next morning. Jessie wondered if she could go to sleep and make it all disappear. 'It's worth a try,' she thought to herself as she shut her eyes again and tried to sleep away the truth.

"I saw your eyes open, Jess," a snippety voice came from the other side of the room. "You can't just lie there forever."

Ice blue eyes fluttered open once again and Jessie sat up on the couch. "What do you want? I gave you the rent money for the month." The blue eyes narrowed, awaiting a response.

Cassidy sighed. "I knew it was no good to try to help you. You ungrateful little bitch. I didn't stay up all the night comforting you through your nightmares because I wanted to fight with you."

Tears welled in Jessie's eyes, "I don't remember that. All I remember is reading that awful e-mail."

"Well no, of course you wouldn't remember me helping you, Jess. You're too damn proud." Cassidy's face fell. They couldn't fight like this forever, and Jessie wasn't quite in the mindset for realizing things like that. She moved over next to Jessie on the couch. "Look, Jess, something has you spooked bad. I've known you long enough to know that it must be something big, because although you're a drama queen, you never pushed it that far." Cassidy took a deep breath for the next part—she didn't realize how hard it was to take the higher ground. "I'm willing to help you through whatever it is. You can't handle everything by yourself." Cassidy's shoulder fell as if a huge weight had just been released.

"Do you mean that, Cassidy?" Jessie was fully crying now.

"I do mean it, but don't keep asking me or else I might change my mind." Cassidy got up and moved towards the kitchen. "Let's get some breakfast and figure out what's going on."

"They're dead." Jessie's usual melodious voice was monotone and flat. "James and Meowth. They're dead. Like you care, though. This is probably some grand scheme." Jessie looked at Cassidy through a hardened facial expression. "You're part of the problem. Team Rocket has once again taken everything I cared about. Butch is probably behind some corner waiting to take me out." Jessie grabbed the TV remote and flung it at Cassidy. "Do it yourself, bitch!" The hard look on her face fell, and Jessie sobbed in a pillow.

With a shocked look, Cassidy ran back to the couch. "Listen, Jess, I want you to get one thing straight. I'm doing this to be nice to you, for once. If you don't want my help, go on right ahead. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let you treat me like second rate scum because of my job. It was your job once too, you know. You just had to take down other people with you when you got caught. Grow up, Jessie. Deal with your feelings like an adult. Throwing a tantrum like a two year old isn't going to get you very far very fast. Now let's try this breakfast thing again, like adults.

Deciding there was no way Jessie was going to be more comfortable at the small breakfast nook in the kitchen; Cassidy decided they could eat in there. Looking in the cupboard, Cassidy realized there wasn't much in there. 'This will have to do," Cassidy thought to herself while grabbing some cereal from the cupboard. Once milk, bowls, and spoons were in hand, she returned next to Jessie, who hadn't moved.

Cassidy couldn't help but roll her eyes somewhat. "Jess. You have to eat. I know you're smart enough to know your body needs nutrition. Eat some cereal.

With shaking hands, the redhead took the bowl. "Thank you," she mumbled under her breath, almost inaudible.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Cassidy said before starting her own bowl. Both women ate in silence, attempting to figure out what to do next.

Once both finished eating the silence continued until Cassidy decided to speak first. "I'm guessing you found out on the computer."

Jessie cringed. "I had someone look them up. I read about Meowth and I couldn't read any more."

"Are you sure it was ordered by the Boss? Lots of people were unhappy when you all left. Perhaps it was revenge?"

Jessie made eye contact with Cassidy for the first time. "You know as well as I do that there's a reason people join Team Rocket. They're not good enough to be without an organization. Something as big as murder has to be done well."

Cassidy nodded in agreement. It was something she would not admit at any other time, but Jessie was right, and she knew it. "Jess. I'm not going to turn you in. It may be for as much of the safety of my neck as the safety of yours, but I won't do it."

"I actually know you wouldn't, Cass," Jessie admitted while rolling a piece of fuzz between her fingers. "I've been through this pain once, and I don't know if I can handle it again. They were the closest thing I had to a family."

Cassidy couldn't speak. She understood. If something were to happen to Butch, she wouldn't know what to do. Although Jessie never had a physical relationship with James that she knew of, Cassidy understood that the bond between partners runs much deeper than it would seem.

Cassidy carefully placed a hand on Jessie's arm. "Jessie, if your mother's death affected you so much, why did you join the team?"

Jessie wiped tears from her eyes, "There are really not many other professions willing to accept orphans with no money. After I flunked out of Pokemon Tech, I really saw no other choice."

"And you stayed because of your partners?" Cassidy inquired.

"Right. I know we really were one of the worst teams out there, but the Boss never fired us. I think it was because he felt guilty for causing me to be an orphan without anything once. He couldn't do it again."

"Which would explain why he was so mad. It wasn't just that he had been betrayed, he had been betrayed by someone he had taken under his wing to an extent."

"Exactly." Jessie replied. "Now those two are gone, and I don't know what to do. It's happening all over."

"Jess, I want to let you know I'm here for you. I'm in-town for the next couple of weeks, and we're going to get you through this the best we can." To her surprise, Cassidy's eyes began to tear. "We'll figure this out."

Jessie was not able to look Cassidy straight in the eye, but looked at the ground. "Thank you, Cassidy."

* * *

There. It's my bedtime now. Nighty night. I might get more up this weekend...might be about a week. No clue. 


	6. Old Flames

Alright….here's a shot at a James chapter. I've been listening to the Pokemon Live! Soundtrack for inspiration (I've Got a Secret is FREAKING amazing). Let's see how this goes...

Oh and I know it's messing with my normal flow…but that's how I roll.

* * *

The morning had been a rough one for both of the females. Jessie didn't know how to curb her emotions, and Cassidy had no clue how to deal with them. The outbursts hadn't reached the level they had earlier in the morning, but things were still tense between the two former rivals. Jessie hadn't moved from the couch with the exception to use the restroom once, and Cassidy was becoming restless.

"Hey Jess," Cassidy began, breaking the heavy silence.

"Hmm," Jess mumbled in a barely responsive tone.

"I just wanted to say that your team had something special about it. Even when we were just trainees, something awesome happened to you once you got paired with James and Meowth. Maybe you weren't the most successful team, but you certainly had a spunk and spirit that no one else did"

Tears that had been quelled for the past hour began to pour once more, "Why are you telling me this, Cassidy? This is not what I need to hear."

Cassidy began to become flustered, "I don't know what else to tell you, Jess! You have barely moved since yesterday, and I don't know how much patience this 'nice streak' of mine has. Maybe if you would talk more I could understand and really feel for you. I have no sympathy for you just boo-hooing there without explaining why."

Jessie's blood was coming to a slow boil. "I told you earlier. James and Meowth were a family I thought I never had. They put up with all my flaws and didn't hate me for my temper. "

Cassidy asked the next question with an odd twinkle in her eye, "Is that all they did for you?"

Jessie looked puzzled for a second before picking up on the innuendo. "Are you suggesting that..no. I mean. No. Ugh." Jessie's eyes narrowed. "No, we didn't dive into the bushes for some hanky panky whenever we felt like it…unlike another team I know of."

Cassidy laughed. "You _were_ always such a prude, Jess, and I'm willing to bet that James is as well."

"**Was**," Jessie's glare stopped Cassidy's giggles in their tracks. "And yes, he was."

Cassidy, not wanting the silence to return, pressed on, "So you and Jimmy boy _never_ 'united peoples within your nation'? Not even once?"

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Again, James and I didn't have to have to bang one another consistently to keep our hormones in check." Jessie noticed Cassidy's mouth open to speak, "No, Cass, never."

Cassidy grinned, "Well with Meowth around, it would have been difficult after all." Knowing that she was getting into dangerous territory, she added, "It's kind of a shame. You obviously had feelings for one another." Cassidy waited for a reaction, but there was none. "And don't tease Butch and I too much. We'd get married if we could leave the team with more grace than you did."

"Really?" Jessie inquired.

"Well, yeah," Cassidy said flippantly. "You know, there's a reason the boss stopped almost all male/female pairings. Too many ended up becoming more than just partners. It's really easy to see, though. You're out in the wilderness, night after night, sometimes forced to use each other for warmth. It's only natural that you would develop some sort of relationship."

Jessie stared at the floor. She didn't think she cared for James, but it would make sense if she did. Then she began to wonder about the opposite. What if James had had feelings for her and had never expressed them? What if that's why he gave her that rose? Immediately, Jessie sprung up from the couch to go retrieve the box.

Cassidy was shocked by Jessie's sudden movement. Thinking she had upset the redhead, she called out after her roommate, "Jess I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to figure out what's going on in that scheming head of yours."

Jessie came back into the room with the papery rose. "No it wasn't anything you said. I just wanted to see this again". She propped the rose up carefully on the coffee table. "He gave it to me when we had to part ways. And before you start making crazy accusations, I don't know why he gave it to me."

"Well, Cassidy began, there's a million different explanations, but I'm sure he thought very fondly of you." Cassidy could tell pushing the subject anymore might be too much for Jessie emotionally, she was dealing with a lot of feelings. "Hey Jess, it's almost lunch time. Why don't we go grab a bite to eat in town? It looks like there's not much in the way of food here."

Jessie looked up from the rose. "Oh yeah. Today is usually my shopping day. Yeah, let's go get groceries and lunch. I'm going to wash up, though."

"Take your time," Cassidy said while picking up the remains from breakfast.

* * *

Another chapter done. Whee! 


	7. Malts and Groceries

Since I tend to write these chapters in pairs, here ya go!

* * *

"Well there's ten job applications done," James said getting up from his computer desk. "If that doesn't end up being enough, I'm in more trouble than I thought originally."

"Growl, Growlithe!" the Pokemon agreed.

"I'm going to take that as a vote of confidence," James replied while sitting in the floor and tussling the hair of his pal. "Why don't we go into town and get some stuff to spruce up this place?"

"Growl!" the Pokemon responded while licking his master's face.

"Alright, I get it, I get it!" James replied while pushing his companion off him. "I think that means 'yes'. I'll go put on some shoes we'll head out."

It was a lovely fall day when the two walked outside. It was nearly half a mile to the shopping district of town, but neither minded. The two friends chased one another and raced to various points along the way. Both were a little tired when reaching town. "Let's go grab something cool," James said while ducking into a small soda fountain. The place was a little grungy and a little old looking, but it still had all the original soda fountain equipment. James couldn't resist the temptation of a milkshake, and arranged for a bowl of water to be brought out for Growlie. The owner said he usually didn't allow Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, but was impressed by Growlithe's attitude and allowed him to stay. Although they were the only customers in the place, he picked a booth in the back corner. Growlie sat underneath the table as his trainer's feet.

"That Growlithe sure adores you," the owner said while bringing out James' chocolate malt.

"He is a good companion." James agreed.

"I bet you've looked after him every day of his life," the man added.

"Actually, no," James replied with a chuckle. "For several years, I had a job where I was travelling and I only saw Growlie a couple times."

"Growlie?" the man replied. "Cute name."

James laughed again. "Yeah. I was 8 when I got him, so it seemed like the appropriate name." Not really wanting to go into the topic, James switched the conversation, "Nice little place you got here. Do you get a lot of business?"

"Well, you can see how busy we are right now," the man replied, gesturing his hand toward the empty shop. "In a while, our lunch regulars will be in, though. They're a good group."

James slurped up some of his malt, "If you can make burgers as well as you can malts, I'll have to come back hungry."

The man laughed. "You and your Growlie are welcome anytime. Are you new to these parts?"

"Sort of," James began. "I've travelled in this area some, but this is my first time to actually live around here. Seems like a nice little place."

"That it is," the owner replied. "Hopefully you'll stick around. I've got to start making hamburger patties for lunch. Have a nice day and hope to see you sometime soon." The man retreated to the kitchen and left the dining room empty besides James and Growlie, who had fallen asleep under the table.

James chuckled at Growlie and watched the people passing by outside. Veridian City was constantly rated as one of the best places to raise a family, so mothers and fathers with children in tow crossed often, usually with the kids reaching out their hand toward the soda shop and asking for a snack. James smiled fondly. Someday he hoped to be doing the same—leading his kids through a nice walk downtown. James had never been very paternal, but ever since leaving Team Rocket, he could increasingly see himself becoming a father. 'You're kind of missing half of the equation,' he reminded himself and sighed. It was true. James had gone on a couple dates after leaving the Team, but nothing had worked out, for one reason or another. James was more interested in friendship and a gradual relationship than a fast-paced relationship. Unfortunately, none of the girls he managed to meet (or had been paired up with by co-workers) had shared his views. Even in their mid-twenties, it seemed like all of them thought they had to beat the biological clock, something James didn't get.

Growlithe shifted and awoke, interrupting James' thoughts. "Did you get a nice nap, buddy?" James teased. Growlithe nuzzled his trainer's leg in response.

"Let's go hit some stores," James said, leading Growlie out of the shop.

The two actually didn't find much to buy, which was a good thing, since they had to walk back to the apartment. James had found a few figurines and a nice throw blanket he liked. He also picked up a few groceries—enough to get the two through a few days until James felt like driving the car to the store and really loading up on foodstuffs. Halfway through the grocery store, both tummies of the companions began to rumble.

"Hmm Growlie. It looks as if we'll have to eat before we head back. How about grabbing a burger at that soda shop?" James inquired.

"Lithe! Growl! Growlithe!," the Pokemon chorused.

"Alright, then that's what we'll do!" James responded while heading to the check-out stand.

The grocery store was only a few blocks from the shop the two had stopped in previously, so the walk was a quick jaunt.

"Wow, he was right about having a nice crowd!" James observed. There were probably fifteen booths in the little shop over half of them were filled with smiling customers. The booth the two had sat in earlier was open, and James made his way back to the corner.

"What can I getcha?" a waitress asked. She was probably no more than fifteen but looked eager to see all the people in the shop.

"I'll just have a bacon cheeseburger and then just bring out some crumbled meat if you can for Growlie. Also water for each of us" James responded.

"Oh you must be the man that came in earlier today! Grandpa said he had seen the most beautiful Growlithe this morning. He's a doll!" the girl replied while smiling at Growlie. Growlie was unimpressed by the girl and pawed at a crack in the wall instead.

"Sorry," James began, "He's spoiled sometimes and forgets his manners," James gave Growlie a small nudge in the ribs to remind the Pokemon who was the master.

"Aw, that's fine," the girl responded. "Pokemon tend to ignore me. Grandpa says it's because I'm too riled up." The girl then bounded away to give the ticket to her grandfather, who was on the grill.

James liked to observe those around him. The corner he was in gave him a vantage point, as he was in a position where he could watch all the other customers, but very few of them had a direct view of him, and for those that did, he was in a darker part of the shop, making him more difficult to spot. James watched the interactions intently. Since James' view of human interaction had sort of been distorted by a very irregular childhood, he liked to watch others and get an idea of what more 'normal' people did. Most of the groups in the shop seemed to be friends gathering for lunch, laughing and telling stories. It was scanning the groups of friends in the store that James almost choked on the water brought to him. "Jessie," he gasped. "And Cassidy!" Jessie's hair had been cut and her figure had changed somewhat, but James could tell it was her. 'I can't let her see me', he reminded himself and he tried to come up with a plan. Remembering he bought a blanket, he rifled through the bag until he found it. Throwing the blanket over his head, he realized how strange he must look. The young waitress did as well.

"Are ya cold?" the girl asked while setting a plate on the table for James and another on the floor for Growlie.

"Uhh. Yes. Yes I am cold," James said shakily. "Do you know most of the people in here?"

"Yeah, sure! The town ain't that big! Why? You got your eye on some girl?" she teased with a wink.

"Sort of, I guess. I'm real shy though, you can't tell her." James said.

"On my honor!" the girl said. "It'll be our little secret."

"Alright, what do you know about the girls at that table over there?" James said quietly.

"Well I've only seen the blonde a couple times. She travels a lot, I guess. Her name is Catherine or Cassidy or something. It starts with a C. The other girl is Jessie. She goes to the university in town and stops in here quite a lot. She likes to come by in off hours and study. Real sweetie. And single," the girl added with a wink.

"Thank you," James replied while taking a bite of his burger while keeping the blanket over his head like a hooded cape. James ate quickly while watching Jessie and Cassidy. Jessie was pushing her food around her plate disinterested and Cassidy was trying to engage her in conversation. 'When did they become buddy-buddy?' James wondered. Jessie seemed like she would never give Cassidy half a chance. How did they become best buds?

James finished his burger quickly and waited while Growlie finished his lunch. "Come on, bud, let's go," James said while practically puling Growlie out from under the booth. Using one hand to keep the blanket over his head, James had the shopping bags in the other and walked briskly past the window of the shop. James didn't take the blanket off his head until he was nearly halfway home.

Once the two had settled back in the apartment with the new accessories put in the place, James sat on the couch in wonder. Out of all the places he could have picked to settle down, he picked where Jessie was. Maybe it was fate? Perhaps it was dumb luck. Whatever it was, James knew he had to figure it out.

* * *

Alright so there you go. I got kinda long-winded here! Oh well. I like it sticks out tongue. I'll write more…sometime! 


	8. Joe's Soda Shop

Another chapter! My micro midterm is over, so I'm rewarding myself with some writing time. My music of inspiration is the music off of Eric Stuart's Myspace. What better artist to listen to when in a rocketshippy mood?

* * *

After wetting her face, the redhead applied a liberal amount of face scrub to her hands and began to massage the small pieces onto her skin. She scrubbed harder, wondering if she could scrub everything away as simply as some dead skin cells, but she laughed at her own silliness and used water from the running faucet to wipe away the excess face wash.

Jessie made her way back to her room and sat on her bed for a moment. She didn't let Cassidy know, but ever since Cassidy mentioned the possibility of a relationship between her and James, Jessie couldn't help but toy with the idea in her head for a moment, until the harsh reality sank in. Admitting his death to herself, she got up and headed toward her dresser. 'At least I did clothes yesterday morning,' she thought while pulling out a pair of comfortable slacks and a blue v-neck shirt that complimented her eyes perfectly. Although it was spring, there was still a chill in the air, so she also pulled out a jacket that accentuated her waist well. She quickly applied a little makeup for a few blemishes and brushed her hair back and tied it in a neat ponytail. "Well, this is good as it's going to get," she informed the figure in the mirror and re-entered the living room.

Cassidy was already there idly flipping through a magazine after a quick change and makeup as well. Upon seeing her roommate, she couldn't help give a small smile. "Well you _do_ clean up well, Jess." Although she was attempting to be nice to Jessie, she couldn't help but let her sarcastic tone drip right through.

"Shut up, Cassidy. I know I don't look great, but all I'm trying to do is pass for normal." Jessie self consciously tugged at her jacket to make sure it still hung right on her slender frame.

"Sorry, Jess," Cassidy apologized while tossing the magazine back onto the coffee table and grabbing a wind breaker off of the coat rack and slipped into it. Unlike Jessie, Cassidy still had every bit of her figure, but usually didn't care to accent it on casual days about town.

The two lived in an apartment near the center of town. Cassidy was not the keenest on the location, but Jessie loved it. The two entered the street and made their way toward Jigglypuff Ave, the street with the most restaurants. Although Cassidy didn't know Jessie the best, she knew exactly where Jessie would want to eat. Jessie needed herself some comfort food, and 'Joe's Soda Shop' on the corner was the best choice. On the rare occasion Cassidy needed to find Jessie and she wasn't at the apartment, Jessie was usually there studying or chatting with the employees. The restaurant was overly crowded when they walked in, however.

"Let's go get the groceries and come back," Jessie murmured. Jessie didn't do well around crowds anyway, and she especially didn't want to deal with them today.

"Whatever you say, Jess," Cassidy answered. Her stomach gave a resounding protest, but she knew Jessie would feel uncomfortable in there anyway. "I don't even see an open table, anyway."

Entering the grocery store, Jessie methodically went through the store and grabbed ingredients and different food items. Realizing that she wasn't needed for this ritual, Cassidy wandered off by herself and went to flip through magazines. She was reading an article about ways she might be able to 'please' Butch when something caught her eye. At the checkout was a man with a Growlithe. Not just any man, he was a dead ringer for James. Thinking back to the few conversations her and Jessie had had over things other than money, for some reason, Cassidy was pretty sure that James had a Growlithe. He had a real cute name too, but she couldn't think of it. "Growlie!" the name hit her.

Upon hearing it's name, the dog Pokemon cocked it's head and looked at the girl at the magazine rack. The Pokemon's trainer looked as well, but the girl had a magazine up over her face, totally enthralled. The man paid for his goods and exited the store.

Upon hearing the door close with the man's departure, Cassidy slowly lowered the magazine until her eyes peered out from over the top. "Am I crazy?" she wondered aloud? There was little doubt in her mind that the man was James, but how could that be?

"If you think some tacky magazine is going to help you with your sex life, you _are_ crazy," Jessie said while rolling her eyes and steering the basket towards the checkout.

Cassidy jumped. "You're done already?" She contemplated telling Jessie about the man she just saw but second thought told her that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Jessie didn't need more heartbreak currently. Cassidy put the magazine back on the shelf and followed Jessie to the checkout.

"Well it doesn't take me long to shop, I buy about the same thing every week. This week I'm just getting extra since they'll be two of us."

Cassidy paid for the goods, since she rarely paid for groceries and the two women decided to drop the food back off at the apartment before grabbing lunch. The jaunt was only a few minutes and the two found themselves back at 'Joe's' again.

"Well, it's still sort of crowded, but there's a nice booth near the window." Cassidy observed. Apparently Jessie had no problem with it, as she walked past Cassidy to go sit down. "I guess that's a yes," Cassidy added while following suite.

Nadine, Joe's granddaughter greeted them with a friendly face. "Jessie I know you want a non-sweet tea and a chicken basket. What about you?" she asked nodding toward Cassidy.

"Oh. Just water and a Caesar Salad sandwich for me." Cassidy said while unfolding a napkin.

"I'll have them out soon!" Nadine announced and bounded toward the kitchen. Cassidy looked over at Jessie and tried to think of a way to slightly cheer up her dejected roommate. When nothing cheery came to her, she decided to go with a common denominator.

"So things really haven't changed since you left. Although poor Mondo didn't know what to do without you for a while."

Jessie's eyes lit up a bit at the name of her and James' assistant in TR headquarters. "I had almost forgotten about Mondo. Such a sweet kid. Has he gone to agent status yet?"

"Actually, no." Cassidy began. "After you left, he got bounced around assisting different teams, but eventually settled on strategic planning. Even The Boss is impressed with his work. The only thing is he won't move from the white uniform to an office uniform. I guess he does it to remember his favorite assignment."

Jessie smiled. "You know, he always did sort of worship us. He's such a good kid. I just hope he doesn't get too deep in it." Both Jessie and Cassidy knew that those who worked in the headquarters tended to be the type that really gave Team Rocket its 'evil' reputation.

"Here you are, girls! Enjoy!" Nadine sat down glasses and meals for the two young women. "Just holler if you need anything!"

Both girls said their thank yous to the waitress and began to eat their food. Cassidy, who was starving at this point, was taking big bites of her sandwich but tried to slow herself down so her food would last long and Jessie nibbled at her chicken and poked at her french fries.

"Come on, Jess. You're going to waste away to nothing. You've got to want to get through this somewhat. You've only got a few more days of school, and you don't want to totally screw over what you've done. If you decide you don't want to go back after summer, then don't. But don't decide just yet."

Jessie looked up with tears in her eyes. This time, however they weren't tears of sorrow or grief. These were tears of gratitude. "Thank you Cassidy," she choked out. "You're a good person."

Cassidy shrugged the compliment off. "I'm just hoping you get rich and can pay for the apartment by yourself."

"Who knew you could be modest?" Jessie said still blinking back tears. "I just hope that—what is that guy doing?"

Cassidy looked out the window to see a man practically running out of the diner with a throw blanket over his head. "I guess he finally snapped, whoever he is," Cassidy thought aloud. Then she saw a Growlithe at the heels of the man. 'It's the man from the store,' Cassidy thought to herself.

"That was strange," Jessie said while dipping her chicken in some barbecue sauce and taking a bite.

"Strange indeed," Cassidy agreed. 'In fact, a little too strange,' she thought to herself. She wasn't about the jump the gun on anything, but it seemed that the coincidences were too much to add up. She needed to track this guy and find out what was going on. 'And if James is still alive,' she thought while raising an eyebrow.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment and some love (or hate!) 


	9. Emails

Special thanks to my sweetie, Zeke, for letting me bounce ideas off of him. This chapter will be a first, as it will switch between the two sides of the story. Hope I don't make things too confusing!

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Cassidy rubbed her eyes as she stared at the computer screen. The article made it look like he was dead. It was right there, with 'natural causes' as the reason. Cassidy snorted. That was the Team's favorite way to do people in, 'natural causes'. The Boss was always looking for scientists to keep one step ahead of the technology the police used. But that left one problem; she had very little doubt in her mind that the man she saw was James…

James also stared at a computer screen a mere half a mile away. He knew most colleges had online databases. Sure, they gave little to no information, but he managed to get Jessie's email address off of it. He tried to figure out how to get Jessie's attention with an e-mail. He wanted to ensure that he got her full attention, but didn't want to give away his identity just yet. He thought a surprise would be in order. James finally came up with an idea and typed the following message through a temp e-mail address he set up on a free network.

Jessica,

You have been missed since your departure from the Team. Unfortunately, we require your assistance on one more issue. Your attendance is mandatory if you value what is important to you.

Sincerely,Your fellow Rocket

James sent the e-mail along with directions to his apartment and a meeting time of the next day. He knew it was a little cruel to present it to Jessie in that way, but he knew of no other way to get her there without answering questions.

Cassidy was attempting to find out where this mystery man lived when her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Knowing no one called her except for business she sighed. "And I thought I was getting some time off." The call was from Butch.

"Bad news, Babe. The boss knows a member of your favorite agent team is now in Viridian."

Cassidy froze. Had they found out about Jessie? "What do you mean, Butch?" she said with full confidence in her voice.

"Not your roommate, but her twerp boy toy." He futilely attempted to clear his throat, "Although you should probably consider changing living arrangements soon. The boss isn't happy. In fact, if he can find out exactly where the guy is, he wants us to do him in."

"He said that?" Cassidy tried to inquire without panic infiltrating her voice. They had been on plenty of missions, but never ones that involved murder.

"Pretty much," Butch clarified. "Look, babe. I don't like this anymore than you probably do, but we can either scare him out of town to where the boss can't find him or wait until the boss finds him."

Cassidy tapped a manicured nail on the table. "Give me a couple hours and I'll call you back, Butch". Cassidy hung up the phone and threw it at the wall. "Dammit," she said aloud. "How the hell is this going to work?" Cassidy weighed her options for a while and couldn't come to a solution. Instead, she doubled her effort on finding where James was before the boss did.

Jessie had been studying for midterms after finding inspiration in what Cassidy told her in the restaurant. Luckily, the material came easy to her, and she was sure she could make up for lost time. She had e-mailed the professor's whose class she had missed that day with a reason of the death of a friend and all her professors had understood. It wasn't like Jessie to miss class without significant reason, and her teachers understood. Jessie took a quick break to check her e-mail and check the news.

She had quite a pile of pieces of mail in her inbox, most of general announcements and final preparations for the end of the year, but one was not in that area. Jessie gulped as she opened an e-mail from a mysterious Her jaw dropped as she read the short message and the address information that game with it. Jessie gulped hard and made a note in her planner. She was afraid of the meeting, but knew it was something she best not mention to Cassidy, as she suddenly became aware she wasn't sure who she could trust anymore.

Knowing she couldn't study anymore, and that is was after midnight, Jessie climbed into bed and hoped she would be able to sleep.

Cassidy, after a good night's sleep was finally hitting some luck. 'Going for the ritz, huh?' Cassidy mentally questioned James. She should have known. James's family had money, so they would most naturally be at the nicest apartment complex in town. After searching for information on James's family, she had come across a property list in public records. 'Bingo' she said with a slight grin. She picked up her cell phone and made a call to the number of the apartment she suspected. After a familiar voice answered with a 'hello', Cassidy hung up. She knew where he was. The only problem was how to get rid of him. "Jessie," she murmured to herself. Cassidy knew the lavender haired man would probably do anything for his former partner. Now the problem was just making it all work. She flipped open her cell phone again and made a call to Butch. Butch answered with a quick hello and Cassidy divulged her plan.

"Look. I'll handle everything else if you just take care of getting me the uniform." Cassidy said with a grin in her voice.

"I'll have it over in a couple of hours," Butch agreed. Butch, just like Cassidy, was glad to have a way out of the predicament other than murder. He wasn't totally pleased with Cassidy's plan, but he understood her reasons behind it.

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Hope you liked it! 


	10. Disguises

Chapter 10! I'm surprised I still have the motivation I do to write it! It's a blast!

* * *

Cassidy was nervous as she put her plan into action. Since Jessie was in class for most the day, Cassidy didn't have to worry about Jessie discovering anything. In a couple hours, as promised, Butch arrived at the door with a bag of supplies in tow. Cassidy went through the bag and made sure that everything she wanted was there. She organized the hair dye, contacts, uniform, and boots on and around her desk. Butch idly relaxed on the bed and looked at sport stats on Cassidy's laptop. "Men," she shrugged as she changed into a button up shirt for her first task, hair. Luckily, Cassidy's hair was similar in length to Jessie's and James was less than likely to notice the difference. Cassidy went in the adjoining bathroom and began to pour the bright red liquid onto her scalp and massage it in. "I really hope this comes out in one wash like the bottle says." Usually, the disguise equipment she and Butch were allowed to use worked well, as they were ranked high within the Team and were allowed to use the best stuff available.

Realizing she had too much hair to make sure she got it all on her own, she called out to Butch to come help her. Reluctantly agreeing, he helped Cassidy make sure the red dye was evenly spread throughout her hair.

"You better not screw this up," Butch said while squirting out the last bit of dye onto Cassidy's already red scalp. "If the boss finds out, we're in trouble. These uniform styles aren't easy to come by anymore."

"Don't worry, darling, it'll work out just fine. I'll scare James into leaving town and the boss will give up the hunt once he realizes this lead ran dry. Besides," she added with a glint in her eye. "It will be fun to play around with Jimmy boy's mind a little."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Butch said with a sigh. He knew Cassidy had a great amount of prowess about her, and she liked to flaunt it, especially to men. "How long are you supposed to leave this stuff on?" he inquired while removing the blood-colored stained gloves with a little shiver.

"Oh about thirty minutes." Cassidy said. "Until then, I need to work on nailing Jess's voice a little better. James hasn't heard her speak in two years now, but I want to be somewhat close."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Do you think this outfit overdoes it Growlie?" James asked while holding out a blue suit.

"Growlithe growl!" the freshly bathed Pokemon responded while shaking his head.

"Alright, I'll go with it. But if it's too much, I'm blaming you!" James didn't know why he was so nervous. He had really jumped into his plan, something he rarely did, but everything seemed to be coming together so far. Dinner was coming along nicely, the weather was beautiful, and James had even managed to find some nice china stored away in a box. To top it off, he had run into town earlier that morning to pick up a couple slices of chocolate fudge cake, one of Jessie's favorites.

"Looks like we're hitting the home stretch," he said with a smile. "A nice shower for me and then it's just making sure everything is perfect." James glanced at the clock. "Only an hour and a half left."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jessie peered over her classmate's shoulder. "Did you find anything?" she inquired impatiently. Cynthia was the only one of her classmates that knew of her past in Team Rocket.

"Nothing that's going to help you much," the blonde said with a small smile. "The e-mail sent to you came from the apartment complex that you're supposed to go to today. The account was just created yesterday and your e-mail is the only thing that has come in and out."

Jessie sighed. "Well, at least it's not Giovanni. He wouldn't be seen in a common apartment complex like that. It could be anyone else though." Jessie gave a shudder with the realization that it could be _anyone_ within the team, even members she once trusted.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Cynthia asked with worried eyes. "I know it's a threat and everything, but is it a chance worth taking?"

"You don't mess with Team Rocket," Jessie answered. "If they wanted me dead for some reason, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you. They wouldn't give me an option to escape."

"That sounds about right," Cynthia added. "Still Jessie, be careful."

Jessie got a glint in her eye that had been missing for a while. "Oh there's no need to be careful when you're better than them," she added with a wink before heading out of the computer lab and starting her way to her next class.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Alright, I think I've got it all out," Cassidy called to Butch from the shower. "Bring me my uniform," she added in her best Jessie impersonation.

"And if I don't?" Butch replied with a playful tone in his voice.

"Then I'll make you hurt, and not in a good way," Cassidy said back in her own tone.

Seconds later, the uniform hit the ground near the shower and the door closed. Cassidy smiled and stepped out of the shower. "Wow," was all she could muster up when she looked in the mirror. Her hair certainly was red. She dried the fire-engine colored hair for a while and then resorted to a hair dryer. Once her hair had dried, it was amazing to Cassidy. The hair did a big part for her transformation. She quickly slipped into the uniform and boots before stepping back into the bedroom.

"Well, maybe we should have opted for the white uniforms," Butch said with a crooked smile.

"Oh knock it off! Is there only one thing you think about?" Cassidy said while pulling down her sports bra a little more.

"With you around, yes." Butch answered truthfully. "Something's still off though."

"I know what it is," Cassidy said with a grin. Walking over to her desk, she pulled out the final ingredient, color contacts. Once the glacier blue contacts covered the hazel of Cassidy's natural eye color, her transformation was complete.

"Prepare for trouble!" Cassidy said in her best Jessie impersonation while turning around to show Butch the final product.

"Very nice," Butch said. "But this time, let's not make it double. We might be in over our heads as it is."

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Another chapter! Hopefully things will all start to come together and unanswered questions will find themselves answered. 


	11. Twisted Stories

James looked in the mirror one more time before leaving his room, "Are you sure I look alright, Growlie?"

"Growl Growl!" the Pokemon responded happily while bounding around the room. He knew he wasn't going to get much in the way of attention this evening, but he was happy that his trainer would be pleased.

"Thanks pal, although I'm not sure why I take fashion sense from a being that goes around naked all the time."

With that, the doorbell rang. James and Growlithe both jumped, as neither was expecting the interruption.

"Jessie? Early? A lot has changed," James said with a shrug and headed towards the living room.

Outside, Cassidy dealt with shook up nerves and calmed herself down while James came to the door.

"Jessie!" James said with a big smile on his face. "You never guessed it was me, did you?"

"Uhh..no. I had no clue," Cassidy said in her false voice while stepping into the threshold.

"You're not mad at me for it, are you?" James asked with a concerned look on his face. "It was the only way I could think of to get you to come over here without asking too many questions. It does surprise me that you're here fifteen minutes early, though. You were never known for being punctual."

'Shit,' Cassidy thought. Jessie was going to be here soon. 'Oh well,' she reminded herself. 'I have fifteen minutes to convince James to get out and not come back. I should only need ten,' she thought. This lack of time meant she must start soon, however. The only issue was, she had to get James totally away from the apartment before Jessie got there. After quickly raking her mind for a solution, she found one. She didn't like it in the least, but it had to work.

"It's been too long, James." Cassidy began with a seductive tone in her voice. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again." She inched in closer toward the former Team Rocket member.

"It sure has been a long time," the oblivious James agreed. "Would you like a grand tour of the place?"

'Oh boy. This boy is not getting it at all,' Cassidy thought. She decided to go another path. "You know James; it's been two years since we've been together, and in those two years, I've began to think about my past and my future. Haven't you done the same?" Cassidy questioned with a hungry look in her eyes.

James began to think that something was different about Jessie, but he dismissed the question with the thought that he had no clue what had happened to her in the past two years. "Well sure, I've thought about my future and past. It's made me realize what I want in life and what is important. I've got so many things to tell you." James looked down at the floor unsure of what to say next. "Oh, I forgot. Can I take your coat for you?"

"Well we agree on part of it, James," Cassidy said with a grin. She gingerly removed the coat and let it fall to the floor rather than giving it to James. "We know what we want know, and I want you." She slammed him up against the wall and kissed him. She cringed as she did, but tried to feign passion in order to somewhat arouse him. She cringed again at the thought.

James didn't know what to do. He liked Jessie, he knew that for sure, but something was wrong. Jessie could be a real bitch at times, for lack of a better word, but this was not her style. She wouldn't throw herself upon someone like that. She may be slightly psycho, but she had class. James pushed Jessie off him. "What are you trying to do?" he asked with an angry tone in his voice.

Cassidy stumbled, trying to come up with the right response. She knew time was running out, and if she couldn't make him happy, maybe she could make him mad enough to leave. "I'm trying to make up for lost time," she said with a smile before getting a firm grip on one of James' belt loops on his trousers and pulling her towards him.

"What the hell is this?!" Jessie exploded as she entered the room. It took her a minute to distinguish what was going on, but the first thing she did was determine who she was looking at. It was James. James was alive. James and her. This wasn't the truth. This was someone playing a prank on her. A horribly twisted prank. Jessie backed into the wall. "This is sick. I don't know who you are or what you're trying to prove to me, but this is sick." Threat or no threat, Jessie couldn't be in the room any longer,and she ran out before either other person in the room could warrant a response. Tears welling in her eyes, she ran all the way back to her apartment.

"What is going on? James asked while pushing Jessie off him a second time." That girl could have been your twin. James thought a little harder before pushing the girl back again. "Wait. You can't be Jessie. We weren't allowed to keep uniforms." James scrambled to a chair, trying to put farther distance between him and the mysterious girl in his apartment. "Who are you, and why are you here."

Now Cassidy really didn't know what to do. Her plan had failed completely, and she had simply succeeded in messing things up even more. Not knowing what else to do, Cassidy did the same thing the real Jessie had done, and fled without another word.

Jessie was in tears when she got to the apartment. Someone was trying to hurt her. Someone was purposely rubbing her failed past in her face. It was disgusting. She had to tell someone. Cassidy was probably sleeping by now, but Jessie decided this was a big enough thing to wake her up for.

"Cassidy," she whispered quietly while entering the darkened room. Jessie was afraid of tripping and decided to just turn on the lights and wake the sleeping beauty. "Cass—" she began. Then she realized that Cassidy wasn't there. What _was_ there, however, was disturbing. Jessie cringed as she picked up an empty box of red hair dye. "That sick minded bitch!" Jessie exclaimed while running back to the door of the apartment. She didn't want to be there when Cassidy came back from her escapade. Jessie ran down the flights of stairs to the street and started running again.

James was stunned. There was no way to describe what had just happened. He tried saying it aloud to see if it made sense. "So someone came by in an almost perfect Jessie disguise, even down to the voice, and tried to seduce me. Hell, she might have even tried to rape me if she had the chance." James shook his head from the sheer insanity of the thought. "Then," he continued, "the real Jessie came in as I had planned, saw what was going on and it spooked her." Growlie cocked his head to the side, showing his own confusion as well. "It doesn't make any sense," James said with a perplexed look on his face. "But Jessie must not be happy wherever she is. In fact, she's probably really hurt." James sat on the floor cross-legged on the floor. "I hope she's not feeling too bad."

Growlie, who was normally very pleasant and supportive of his owner, nudged James' arm almost violently.

"And what's your problem?!" James retorted, almost yelling.

Growlie ignored the yell and nudged James again, almost pushing him over in the direction of the door. To further get his point across, the Pokemon ran a few times from James to the door of the apartment.

"You think I should go after her? How am I going to know where she is?" James said with a dissatisfied sigh. "I do know one place she might go, however. Do you think I should take a chance?" James asked the Growlithe.

Growlie didn't have to answer with howls, because he had James' wallet in his mouth so James could go out the door.

Cassidy walked dejectedly on the path back to the main part of town. She knew she couldn't stay at her apartment that night, so she called Butch. After five rings, it went to Butch's voicemail, something that Cassidy had never had happen before. "This isn't good," Cassidy said aloud. "He always answers his phone." Cassidy broke out in a full run toward Butch's apartment, trying to find her spare key in the small purse she brought along.


	12. Realizations

Chapter 12 :D The metaphorical shit is starting to hit the fan.

* * *

Butch froze. "This isn't supposed to be happening," he whispered to himself. There was no denying the reality of the situation though. Butch had simply tried to return to TR headquarters to get some paperwork done after Cassidy had gone to scare off James. He didn't think too much when his pass-key didn't work in the door—it had happened several times before. Knowing a back entrance in, Butch had gone about his business as normal. Normal until he opened the wrong file. "I've got to tell Cassidy," he whispered while grabbing the file and heading towards the door.

"Oh but where would the fun be in that?" a female voice called out as a blunt object struck Butch in the back of the head. He tried to retain consciousness, but the black swirled around him until it was too hard to deny.

James didn't know what to do. Jessie was in the restaurant as he suspected, but he had no clue on how to approach her. There was no one in there but Jessie, but James still couldn't move himself to walk in. He loved her. It had never really hit him before, but it was true. She was vulnerable and alone, and all he could do is stare at her. "I'm being ridiculous," James mumbled to himself as he stepped inside.

Jessie heard the door open and tried to keep her cool. 'Oh great, someone to see me in pieces,' Jessie thought to herself. 'This is exactly the last thing I need.' Taking a deep breath and choking back sobs, she took a small sip of her water, her face hidden by her hair that she pulled out of a bun.

A sense of euphoria enveloped the woman and she couldn't put her finger on it. Trying to figure out this sudden feeling that was almost arousal, she realized there was a scent that sent a chill down her spine. She couldn't place it though. It was familiar, sweet, and passionate. It reminded her of one thing. "James!" she said while turning around to face the man behind her. The feeling only lasted for a fraction of a second before she remembered the scene she witnessed not too long ago. Fear took over, and she flattened herself against the wall on the far side of the booth. "What do you want from me?" she asked with wide eyes.

James was without words. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Jessie and comfort her, but he realized that she was just as confused about what happened as she was. "Jessie," he said taking a step towards the booth. Realizing him nearing her only scared her more, he took a step back. "Jessie," he began again. "I don't rightly know what just happened. I was trying to surprise you. I sent the e-mail as a way to surprise you and see you. I thought the other girl was you, until you walked in."

Jessie realized she was in no immediate danger, and loosened up. "Touching story," she said while flipping her disheveled hair behind her ears. "But I have no reason to think you aren't working for the enemy," she accused with a knowing eye. "Besides," she added, trying to show as little emotion as possible, "You're dead."

The sheer absurdity of the accusation brought a puzzled look to James's face. "I am most certainly _not_ dead, for starters," James began cautiously. "And second of all, I wouldn't work for those scumbags if my life depended on it. You know that."

Jessie was at a loss of what to say. She wanted to trust him, as she had nothing else in the world to trust currently. "Then prove it to me," she demanded.

James thought for a moment then put his hand into his pocket. He found what he was looking for and gingerly sat it on the table in front of Jessie. A scratched bottlecap with a red R on it glinted as it hit the tabletop.

Jessie gasped. "It _is_ you. I never thought I'd see you again."

James smiled gingerly. "I carry that with me everywhere I go. It reminds me of good times."

Realizing it was time for Joe to close up the shop, Jessie looked around nervously. "Look James, I've got some stuff to tell you, and I don't think this is the best place, with my apartment being far worse. Let's go talk at your place."

James smiled, "Of course. As long as you fill me in on what the heck is going on."

Cassidy opened the door cautiously. "Butch?" she almost whispered. The room was empty. Stepping carefully into the small living area, she flipped on the overhead light. As always, the place was immaculate, but the part that was more concerning to Cassidy, completely empty. The apartment was tiny, so it took no time for Cassidy to determine Butch wasn't there. "The only other place he might be is headquarters." Cassidy mused aloud. Fearing what she would find when she found Butch, she removed the small pistol Butch kept hidden in the desk and made her way towards the heart and soul of Team Rocket.

The soreness of his body was the first thing Butch detected when he awoke. He peered around the dimly lit room, trying to find out where he was while dealing with the throbbing pain in his head. Upon seeing storage counters and small fridges, Butch realized he must be in a small laboratory in the farthest underground part of the building. Congealed blood stained the polo shirt he was wearing, and his arms and legs were bound. Butch was fairly certain no one else was around, but he was sure that he was being watched. There were cameras everywhere in the labs. His next mental task was to recap everything he had learned. In the file he found, he saw hand-written notes by the boss about team members who were deemed to be 'disloyal and needed to be properly disposed of'. At the top of the list had been himself and Cassidy. Cassidy for harboring a 'threat to the team', and Butch made the list by being an 'accomplice'. Also noted were their 'unprofessional behavior' accompanied by a handful of photos of the two. Butch was appalled of the existence of the pictures, but more concerned about the immediate threats to his, and more importantly, Cassidy's life. Strangely enough, the file did not have orders to 'dispose of' the disloyal member Cassidy harbored, just him and Cassidy. Things weren't adding up, and it greatly disturbed Butch. This was simply another one of a long list of 'odd behaviors' the boss had been exhibiting since the falling out. Butch tried to contemplate more, but the swelling of his brain caused by the concussion caused him to lose his train of thought and he became unconscious once again.

"You know I do love you," a highly intoxicated Jessie blurted while uncaringly throwing her body weight towards James.

James smiled, "I'll believe you when you're sober." Both former partners had thought a little alcohol would be just the thing to ease them up while discussing what could be happening. James, however, hadn't realized that Jessie had not ever drank and was amazed at how quick the brandy had taken control of her system. He carefully picked up the woman clinging to his pant legs and positioned her back over the toilet. "I'm willing to bet you're not done over here," he said with a worried look on his face. Holding her hair, he tried not to cringe when another round of nausea took control and Jessie emptied more of her stomach's contents into the porcelain bowl. Still holding her ratted and puke-tainted hair with one hand, he turned on the bath water for when she was done throwing up.

"I think I'm done," Jessie said after retching up bile.

"Alright. Let me finish running the bathwater and I'll leave while you wash up. I'll go find some clothes more suitable for you to wear." James went through still-unpacked clothes in the corner of his bedroom and found a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt that would most likely fit the slender girl. When he returned to the bathroom, he saw that the door wasn't closed and after carefully peeking in, saw that Jessie had barely moved from her perched position on the toilet.

"I can't do it," she said through tears.

"That's alright," James said in the most comforting tone he could muster. "I'll help you." James gingerly peeled the stained blouse off of Jessie and held her in a standing position. "Now I'm going to need your help with the jeans." James had to admit, he had had dreams about undressing his partner, but this was certainly not the situation he had imagined.

"Okay," a less-than-coordinated Jessie agreed while clumsily tugging at the pants. It took her several tries, but she managed to get the offending trousers off.

James carefully lifted Jessie with both arms and sat her in the tub full of warm water. "Is it too hot?" he asked with a concerned tone.

"No," she said while idly splashing water with her right hand. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Right now, I think that you need to work with me and help you get to bed," a frustrated James answered while avoiding the question. Putting some soap on a wash rag, he began to attempt to wipe pieces of regurgitated food off of Jessie's face.

Cassidy didn't bother with the main entrance, she didn't want to use her pass-key and announce her entrance to the facilities. Entering in the most remote way she knew, Cassidy crawled through an air duct and carefully jumped out of a vent onto an office desk on the third floor. Glad that no one was around to see her; Cassidy dodged into a small cubicle completely isolated and began to run security programs. Cassidy smiled at her good fortune, as Mondo had forgotten to log off of the security program last time he used his computer. Cassidy began flicking through current cameras running and saw nothing out of the ordinary until she reached 'lowerlevellab3'. "Oh shit." Cassidy said aloud. She had to get down there, and fast.

* * *

Woo! I finally got to have a Rocketshippy moment! Not much of one, but one none the less! Expect more before too long! 


	13. In the Blood

Another chapter. I'm kind of in a bad mood, so we'll see where this goes...

* * *

"Time to wake up, you good-for-nothing slouch!" Domino yelled while hurling a beaker at Butch. Butch slowly regained some consciousness, and dodged the flying glassware as best he could. "The boss doesn't like traitors like you, and I'm here to make you pay."

Butch wasn't in the mood for petty talk. "Why? So you can screw your way right up to the top of the Team? You certainly won't get there by talent."

Domino waited before responding. She knew she was too good for this sort of trash. The heels of her white boots clicking all the way, she leaned down next to Butch. "You know, Biff, you're not the one that's in a _position_ to make any suggestions about someone screwing one another," she said with a seductive tone into Butch's ear.

"It's Butch," the man replied between gritted teeth.

"What do I care?" Domino questioned while picking up a shard of the broken beaker. She pressed the piece of glass into Butch's neck until crimson drops began to bead out. "Too bad I can't kill you now. I'm sure you have a certain partner who will be down here before too long. She's our real target. You know, harboring a traitor to the Team really hacks off the boss, but you don't seem to be a team player anymore, dear Hutch." She used the shard to make one deeper cut on Butch's neck before idly tossing it to the side.

Feeling the blood trickle down his neck, Butch couldn't help but feel his fury rise. "Then why not kill the traitor as well? Why is she safe from this?"

Domino perched herself on a lab bench, "Giovanni doesn't tell me everything, and I don't ask." This is one of the most boring jobs I've had in a while, though. She yawned and flopped back onto the bench.

"Ow! You're pulling!," Jessie accused with slurred speech.

"Sorry. I didn't realize you had such a tender head," James said while running the brush through Jessie's freshly washed hair again. Although he didn't have all the tangles out, he had enough that satisfied him, and didn't require him pulling out any more hair. "All ready for bed?"

Jessie turned and her tired eyes said it all. James tucked her in his bed and took a pillow and his new throw pillow for himself on the couch. Growlie came bounding to meet his owner in the living room.

"Sorry for the lack of attention tonight, bud," James apologized. "Jessie certainly grabbed my undivided attention." James turned out all the lights and turned on the television to catch the news before going to sleep. It wasn't too long before he heard stifled sobs from the bedroom. Turning off the television, James re-entered the bedroom and turned on the bedside light. "What's wrong?" he asked Jessie.

"I hate being alone," the redhead sobbed. "I've always been alone and I'm afraid." She looked up at James with her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't leave me, James."

James understood that she wasn't going to be able to sleep unless she got her wish, so he pulled back the comforter and slid under the covers, making sure he was above the sheet while Jessie was below it so there was a fabric barrier between them. "I'm right here, Jessica," he said while stroking her hair.

Jessie was struggling to find the balance between being drunk and being sober. Unbeknownst to James, she wasn't quite as drunk as he thought she was. She knew her motor skills were pretty much gone, but her mind was still sharp and she meant everything she was saying. Putting her arm around her former partner in crime, she whispered, "and I mean it. Never ever leave me. Never again."

James smiled and watched Jessie slowly succumb to sleep before closing his own eyes.

Cassidy clicked between various headquarter blueprints on Mondo's computer before settling on her final plan. "This better work," she said while peering to make sure that no one was looking before heading out of the cubicle and toward the stairwell. Knowing that no one took the stairwell while the elevator was working, she darted down towards the bottom levels. Once she was a floor above the lab, she exited and found the air duct entrance she was looking for. Knowing there was no light in the ducts, she felt her way around, remembering every detail from the blueprints. Once she was sure she was close to Butch and Domino, she found a grate. Domino was still perched on a lab bench, playing with a black rose, and Butch was still tied up on the floor. Cassidy tried to quietly pull open the grate but it was stuck. Knowing she had to use the element of surprise for her advantage, she carefully crouched at the edge before the grate and pounced hard onto it, feet first, making it cave in. She hit the ground unsteadily, but managed not to fall on her own rear end. She pointed the gun at Domino, intending not to miss. She knew she was a dead woman if she messed one thing up, so she was ready to kill.

"Well, I was expecting someone to show up, but it definitely wasn't you." Domino said with a surprised look on her face. Why would you come back here now, Jessie?"

Cassidy was shocked for a moment before realizing she was still disguised as Jessie. Knowing this gave her some sort of special immunity, she decided to use it in her favor. "I need to see Giovanni," she said in her shaky Jessie voice.

"Well then put down the gun, Jessie. There's no need to get violent." Domino turned around and re-organized glassware she had been playing with.

Cassidy took the opportunity to drop a knife into Butch's bound hands. She walked up behind Domino and pressed the gun into the back of her exposed neck. "I guess I may not have made myself clear, but I meant now."

Domino kept her cool and turned around to face the gun. "Then follow me," she said with no fear in her voice.

As soon as the two females left the room, Butch worked tirelessly to open the knife and try to cut the ropes that bound his wrists. He missed several times and grunted in pain with each accidental slice, but kept working, as he knew time was precious. Once his wrists were free, he freed his ankles with much more ease. Pocketing the knife, he carefully stood and tried to assess how well he could move. His head was still pounding and his vision was blurry at best, but he knew the headquarters well enough that he could get by without much reliance on his senses. Stumbling at a half-run, Butch headed towards the nearest exit, hoping he remembered the code to get out without presenting his pass-key.

The two women walking towards Giovanni's office were in complete silence. Cassidy had put the gun back in the purse she was carrying, and Domino seemed unaffected by the threat on her life. Cassidy could have gotten to the office by herself, but Domino had to come along due to the fact it was after-hours and a code was needed to get in. Domino was one of a very select few who knew the code to the office and the only agent. Cassidy worked on what she was going to say when facing Giovanni. She was making up her plan as going along and had been lucky thus far, but she knew Giovanni was no fool. She had to be convincing and come up with a plan fast.

Butch stumbled out into the night air and collapsed immediately. Although his blood loss hadn't been significant, it was enough to affect him adversely, especially when coupled with head trauma. Attempting to think of the safest place to go, he immediately ruled out both his and Cassidy's apartments. The only other place he could think of was a small ratty hotel where he and Cassidy had gone to on several occasions to take advantage of their 'hourly rates'. Butch knew that even if Cassidy didn't know where he was, he would be able to find her sooner or later. 'If she lives through this,' he thought to himself. Knowing that this was no time for depressing thoughts, he lumbered toward a bathroom at a nearby park, knowing he should clean up the best he could before getting a hotel room.

"You know, he really doesn't like being disturbed during off hours," Domino mused while punching in the code for the office door. Giovanni wasn't as the office he normally sat at, but Domino commanded Cassidy to sit while she further went into Giovanni's apartment to alert the boss of his guest. Moments later, Domino returned into the office. "Sit tight. He'll be here in a few minutes." She headed back toward the door to return to her job in the basement.

'I hope Butch got out in time,' Cassidy thought to herself. She was really beginning to see why Jessie left the team the way she did. There was really no way to leave the team with grace or dignity. Almost all that left were labeled as traitors and murdered. The thought sent a shiver that emanated down through Cassidy's bones, and she feared for her future. Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and Giovanni entering the office with his loyal Persian at his side.

"I was surprised to hear you had come. I knew that this day would come, but I must admit that I didn't think it would come so soon." Giovanni sat down at his desk, almost with a nervous look on his face. "The outfit really wasn't necessary though. I would have known who you were without it."

A light bulb clicked in Cassidy's head. It all began to make sense. She was pretty sure she understood the big picture about Jessie's past, but didn't want to blurt it outright. "I figured it out when I started to wonder why you didn't order my death like I thought you would."

"So you've figured it out. I don't think I owe you anything. I've kept you alive when I wouldn't do the same for others. I kept you employed when neither you nor your team deserved the money I wasted on you. Now that you know, however," he began with a straight face, "I can't allow you to leech off of me anymore." The man pulled a gun out of his jacket and pointed it directly as Cassidy.

Cassidy's youth gave her speed in her reaction time, however. Before Giovanni could act, she had her own gun out and fired at the man directly between the eyes. She yelped as blood began to spew from the man's face as he fell toward the ground, but she had no remorse for what she did. She found the pass-key in the dying man's front pocket and put it in her own.

"And I thought my dad was bad," she commented before breaking into a full run.

* * *

I have to admit, that was damn fun to write. 


	14. Small Comforts

Here's another installment. I'm really getting into the characters. Another shout out to my darling Zeke for his care and support (and that I'm going to crush him next time we play cards...). Also a shout out to my little brother, Jed, who seemed enthusiastic about my story ideas, which means a lot to me!

* * *

Cassidy gasped as she exited headquarters, letting the cool air sting her lungs. She knew she was safe for the time being, but knew she needed to leave the area soon. Killing Giovanni had not devastated her, like she often thought murdering another human being would, but it brought panic, as Cassidy knew further blood would probably spill before all was resolved. Pulling off her white jacket and turning it inside out so the tell-tale red R would be hidden, she made the journey back to her apartment with unsteady legs. She needed to talk to Jessie, James, and Butch soon, but right now her body screamed for rest.

Butch looked in the cracked mirror at himself. "There's no way I'm going to be able to check into any hotel," he said with a sigh. Although he had washed most of the blood off his neck and wrists, he couldn't hide the crimson stains covering the upper part of his yellow polo. Even after scrubbing out the clotted pieces, the shirt still looked horrible, and Butch knew he actually didn't look much better. This led Butch to a conclusion; he had to return to either his or Cassidy's apartment for the night. Although he had no clue where Cassidy would be, he knew that Jessie would probably be in their apartment, and Butch desperately wished to find someone to pick shards of glass out of his arm that his fingernails failed to dig out. Hoping he wasn't making a bad decision, he began to limp toward Cassidy and Jessie's apartment building.

James couldn't sleep. Even worse than that, he couldn't move. Jessie's arm was draped over his chest, and he didn't want to take the chance of waking her up. Before Jessie had become too intoxicated for conversation, she had spilled most of her knowledge concerning recent events. Apparently, she had received notice that both he and Meowth were dead. It was funny to think of the possibility he might be dead, even if he knew it was completely preposterous. Since Jessie had not read the article on James after reading the one about Meowth, James had wondered if she was reading a blurb from his father's obituary. His father was his namesake, after all. That situation paled in comparison as to why Cassidy would dress up like Jessie and try to seduce him. According to Jessie, the two unlikely roommates had gotten along well enough in their time together, so James failed to understand why Cassidy would feel the need to do such a thing. He feared the reasons ran all the way back to Team Rocket, and he shivered. He did not want to be involved with those creeps again.

"Butch!" Cassidy cried out. She saw him leaning against a tree and ran to his side. She was filled with joy that he was alive, but worried about the extent of his injuries.

Butch hated looking so pathetic. He had tried to make it to Cassidy's apartment, but the constant throbbing in his head had messed up his balance enough that with each step, it had become harder and harder to stand upright, until his body had collapsed on the cold pavement. Butch had since drug himself to a nearby tree and attempted to calm the violent pains in his skull. "What happened, Cass? How bad is it all?"

Cassidy wrapped her arms around the man she loved and flashed him a smile. "We're alright for the short term. Giovanni won't be bothering us anymore. I don't think we'll be able to stay in Viridian very much longer, though," she finished. Judging that it was going to be quite an effort to get Butch anywhere, she added, "I know I have more medical equipment at my apartment, but yours is much closer. Let's focus on getting you there and I'll see what I can do about taking care of you."

Butch gave her a grateful smile before wrapping his arm around her shoulder so she could help him get up.

Domino had heard the gunshot. At the time, however, she simply thought it was Jessie getting what should have come to her years ago. She had smiled at the time, proud of Giovanni for finally getting rid of her, even if she was his daughter. It wasn't until she had returned to the lab that she realized something was wrong. Her prisoner was gone. Remembering the gunshot, she ran full force back to Giovanni's office, her hands flying over the input pad to type in the correct number code to get in. As the sickening sweet smell of blood engulfed her nostrils, she noticed she couldn't see a body. Walking farther into the room, however, she saw blood splattered on the leather chair behind the desk. A few more steps brought Giovanni's body into view. "That bitch!" Domino explained while futilely checking for a pulse on the corpse. Knowing that Giovanni had probably died instantaneously, she reached for the blood-splattered gun and removed his still warm hand from it. Wrapping her own hand around it and letting the sticky handle rest in her palm, she lowered her right finger tenderly over the trigger. "I'll find you, you two timing whore. And all your little buddies, too." She began to search the premises for her targets.

It was a struggle to get Butch back to the apartment, and Cassidy wondered if she would be better off calling an ambulance and getting him some proper medical treatment, but she knew risks were something she couldn't afford to play with. After preparing a warm bath for her partner, she had run to a convenience store and picked up tweezers, gauze, and rubbing alcohol. After Butch had scrubbed the offending dirt and blood from his body, Cassidy attempted to remove glass shards from his arm. He winced with every prick from the tweezers, but didn't dare speak out. He was happy to be alive and with the woman he loved more than anything else.

Cassidy noticed Butch was asleep before she had finished wrapping the cuts on his wrist. She knew sleep could be dangerous with a concussion, but she also knew Butch's body was so exhausted there was no way of avoiding it. Making her way to the living room, she tried to call her own apartment. It was horribly late, but she needed to talk to Jessie as soon as she could. Once the answering machine clicked on, Cassidy hung up. Jessie wasn't at the apartment? That was strange. She knew Jessie had a few friends around town, but she had never heard of Jessie mentioning spending the night with any of them. Too tired to care, Cassidy grabbed the spare set of clothes she kept at the apartment, and went to take a shower.

Jessie grunted and moved her hands to her head. 'Must have a headache,' James mused to himself. Taking the opportunity while her arms weren't on him, he slipped out from under the covers as quietly as he could and dug through one of his suitcases to see if he had had the foresight to bring any sort of pain reliever. Finding a small bottle of ibuprofen, he poured two out into his hand. He then went to grab a bottle of water from the fridge before returning to Jessie's side. "Jess," he said quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Jessie slowly opened her eyes. She knew she was in James's apartment, and knew she had a hangover. Her childhood and teen years in Team Rocket had always taught her to assess a situation before jumping into anything. "Hmm," she mumbled, still holding her hands to her temples.

"Why don't you try taking something for your headache, Jess," James said with his eyes full of compassion. "I hate waking you up, but you looked like you were in pain." He sat her up against a pillow and handed her the pills and bottle of water. "You should probably try drinking all of that to help with dehydration," he added.

"Mmhmm," she mumbled in agreement, she swallowed the pills and sipped at the water. She sat the rest of the way up and looked at James. "Thank you," she said. Realizing that she probably wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, she turned to look James in the eyes. "I don't think I asked you anything about how you've been in the past two years. I see you still have Growlie." James smiled and sat cross-legged on the bed beside his former partner. It didn't take long for him to give a brief description of what he had been doing the past two years, and Jessie listened intently.

"Wow," Jessie began. "I really don't know what to say. Your parents never really did change. I always thought that they would really see how great of a person you were at some point."

James didn't know what to say to the compliment Jessie had paid him and settled on a mumbled, "It's alright." Once again, he was at a point where he could turn into a total sap and say something like 'the past doesn't matter know that I'm with someone I care about.' He laughed inwardly at the thought of admitting something like that to Jessie. Instead he tugged a loose string on the hem of his sleep pants. "Does your head feel any better?"

"A little," Jessie answered. "I'm really grateful for the water right now, though. That seems to be helping some." She finished up the last of the bottle and gave a sheepish grin, "Do you think I could have another?"

"Of course," James said jumping up to return to the kitchen. He tiptoed through the living room, trying not to wake Growlie, and grabbed another bottle from the fridge. Thinking they might be up a while, he also grabbed a box of donuts and a second water for himself.

"What is this, a slumber party?" Jessie said with a small laugh when James returned.

"Well..why not?" James responded with a grin. "I'm sure we still have much more to catch up on, and it looks like neither of us will be sleeping soon."

Cassidy stepped out from the shower, glad she was finally finished. It seemed like it had taken forever for the water and shampoo to run clear from her scalp, as the red dye released its grasp from her hair. After four rinses with her clarifying shampoo, the water finally ran clear, and that was good enough for the exhausted Cassidy. Carelessly throwing on her bedclothes, she examined her hair in the mirror. It definitely wasn't red anymore, but it looked like her gold locks weren't there either. "Hmm. Strawberry blonde can't be that bad," she mused while combing out the tangles in her hair before heading to sleep.

* * *

Since I left the last chapter fairly dramatic, I decided I'd let this one be a little more laid back. It's the calm before the storm, perhaps? 


	15. Giggles and Donuts

Alrighty. I'm in a really cutesy mood, and I'm constantly being interrupted at work (don't they realize how important this is?!). We'll see how this one goes.

* * *

Domino had searched the immediate area with no luck. She wasn't surprised that Butch would be able to find his way out of headquarters once untying himself, but she was perplexed as to how Jessie had escaped, being as how almost the entire complex had changed since she left. Domino retired to the security room watching tape after tape trying to figure out where Jessie had gone. It was almost as if she disappeared from sight totally after shooting Giovanni. Domino realized something was amiss. Even if Jessie had managed to luck her way into finding an exit that didn't require a pass-key, there was no way she could have missed all the security cameras all the way. It just didn't add up. Domino was furious. Giovanni was gone. She hadn't loved him in any shape or form, but he had been a fun plaything now and again. Domino looked down at the phone on the security desk, knowing she needed to let other high-ranking Rockets know the situation. Domino groaned as she picked up the phone. She knew who her first call had to be, and it was the one she wished to avoid most. Unlike most mothers, who would be in deep grief over her only son's death, On'na would shed no tears, only complain about her own son's stupidity. Domino was hoping On'na would simply not pick up the telephone, but instead cringed when she heard a click and a frustrated, "What do you want? Don't you know it's three in the morning?" come from the other end. Domino let out an audible sigh. This was not going to be a fun night. 

"You're kidding?!" Jessie let out with a giggle. "Jessiebelle?! A mother?! I fear for those kids!" She shoved a chunk of powdered donut in her mouth, but couldn't keep from giggling further, creating a powdered cloud in the air in front of her face.

James stood up beside the bed and put a hand on his hip while holding perfect posture, "Now excuse me, dahling child, but you're not sucking on that pacifier correctly. Let me show you how," James imitated in a falsetto southern belle voice. Both looked at one another and went into giggle fits.

Jessie caught her breath first. "I can't believe anyone would marry her, much less _procreate_ with her. I don't even want to know how that went." Both ex-Rockets cringed at the thought, especially the male.

James snapped out of his Jessiebelle pose and bounced back onto the bed that was littered with donut pieces. "As horrible as it sounds, I'm happy for her."

Jessie rolled her eyes, "More like happy for yourself that she was taken off the market."

"Maybe that's part of it," James admitted with a teasing grin. "So what about you? Any juicy bits of gossip to share?"

"Hmmmm," Jessie thought, sipping on her bottle of water. She still had a bit of a headache, but she was having such a fun time hanging out with James that it didn't matter. "Not really. Apparently Cassidy and Butch are looking for a way out of the Team so they can get married."

James raised one eyebrow, "That's surprising. I never saw them as having anything more than nightly flings."

Jessie shrugged. "Yeah, it's kinda strange. I think Cass mellowed out a whole bunch when the Team took a hard hit. Made her realize she was vulnerable and that the Team couldn't be her answer forever. I guess that's why she was bearable enough to live with."

"Butch isn't a terrible guy, either. He could do with laying off the cigarettes, but other than that, he's pretty cool."

Jessie got a look of panic on her face and James thought he had offended her. "I'm, er, sorry," he said with a confused tone.

"No, it's nothing you did. I just realized I have a final in almost four hours. It's my last one, but I still should probably get some sleep." She was glad the final was in one of her general education classes, or else she would be in trouble.

"Alright," James said while standing up from the bed and gathering up trash to be thrown away. After getting rid of the wrappers in the kitchen, he stuck his head back in the bedroom. "Did you need anything else?" He felt awkward all of a sudden, feeling that strange question of his feelings for her coming back once again.

"Only if you have an alarm clock I can use." Jessie said while plumping the pillows on the bed.

"Oh yeah, sure," James replied, taking the clock from the stand and handing it to her. "Well," he said while scratching the back of his head uncomfortably, "Have a good night." He didn't know what to do, so he started moving toward the door.

"What?" Jessie asked, grinning. "No good-night hug?" What she truly wanted was for him to stay with her, so she would have someone to cuddle with, but she saw that he looked uneasy and decided to settle for a hug.

"Okay," James answered while returning to her side. He hugged her tightly, whispering, "Good night, Jessica." He shuffled out of the room quickly, hoping he hadn't sounded like a creep whispering in her ear.

Jessie waited until he left the room before giggling softly to herself. "He's such a dork," she said aloud, "But a really cute one." She laid her head on the pillow and hoped she would be able to function tomorrow with little sleep and a slight hangover.

* * *

I know it's short, but I liked ending it on this note. It's so Kawaii! So I really don't care if you don't like the shortness of it. I've still got 5 more hours of work (oh the joy of being a receptionist!) so I'll hopefully get up another chapter...and I'll try to make it less...sickeningly cute... 


	16. Takeover

Another chapter written at work. I'm still trying to figure out how I want this to progress. I have major plot points I _want_ to happen, but I haven't quite figured out _how_.

* * *

When the alarm went off, Jessie grumbled a few choice words and threw the alarm clock at the ground. She really wasn't ready to get up, but knew it was imperative. The only thing that made her want to get up was the wonderful scent she was picking up. Walking into the kitchen, she smiled at the sight. James, who must not have known she had awaken, was singing a song to himself and dancing around while flipping pancakes. She let him get through a verse or two of his song before interrupting him. 

Digging through devotion for that diamond in the rough.  
You push aside the tally of what was never good enough.  
Maybe the prize is in a different place.  
Can you be so blind?

It's staring you in the face.  
Open your eyes and look at me.  
It's staring you in the face.  
You'll be surprised at what you see.

Running from lies in an endless race  
When the truth ain't far behind.

Open your eyes, see what you're missing.  
You're blind, the sign says come and love me.

Jessie, who still had her evil streak (although it had been toned down considerably), chose this time to announce her presence. "Cute song, Chef Boy," she said with a grin.

James looked up and immediately blushed a bright shade of pink. "G-good morning," he sputtered out while looking sheepishly at his spatula. "Did you manage to get any sleep?"

"A little," Jessie replied, not acknowledging her companion's awkwardness. "Enough that I'll hopefully be able to keep from passing out."

James found enough courage to look in Jessie's general direction, "Yes, passing out would be bad." He flipped one last pancake onto a plate before setting it down in front of Jessie. "Now eat up. You can't go around failing finals because of a hangover now. It would ruin your image."He smiled at her.

Jessie laughed at the irony of the statement. "Yes, because I've _always_ been able to keep out of trouble." She stuck her fork into a piece of scrambled egg in her mouth and smiled. "I forgot how much I missed your cooking."

"Well," James started with a smirk, "I've had your cooking, and I would miss mine too if I had eaten yours for two years."

"Still the comedian," Jessie replied while drowning her pancakes in syrup. "I guess I'll come back here after the test. I still don't want to journey to my apartment yet."

"No problem," James said. "If you need a place to stay more permanently, I could upgrade to a two-room apartment. It's not like I'm going to go broke or anything." He hoped he hadn't sounded too eager about the prospect and feigned interest in cutting up his pancakes into bite size pieces.

Both finished their breakfasts in relative silence, only making comments when necessary. Jessie used the time to go over last minute facts in her head before her final, while James contemplated what the future might hold.

"Well thank you for the lovely breakfast," Jessie began while standing up from the small table, "but I really need to get running."

James stood up as well. "Do you need a ride or anything?"

"Thanks, but I'll walk. It looks like a pretty day outside. I should be back in two or three hours."

"I'll be here." James said, immediately kicking himself in fear he seemed too eager again. "Good luck."

Cassidy woke up groggy and still fatigued, but knew it was imperative that she find Jessie and James. Letting Butch get all the sleep he could, she tiptoed to the living room and tried calling her own apartment again. When there still wasn't an answer, she was slightly worried, but assumed nothing too bad had happened. Racking her head for what else to do, she flipped through her recently called numbers on her phone. Finding the number she hoped to find, she dialed and hoped for an answer.

"Hello?" the voice answered from the other end.

"James!" Cassidy exclaimed. "I need to talk to you."

"Cassidy?" James asked. Before waiting for an answer, he continued, "You really have some nerve calling here after what you did last night. I don't even know what to think about it, and Jessie's almost out of her mind with worry."

Cassidy sighed, hating to find out that Jessie and James had discovered it was her last night. Her plan had backfired on her, and she had alienated her only allies in the dangerous war ahead. She chose her words carefully and began, "Look, the thing last night was a really dumb decision. I was trying to protect you from the Team without you knowing how much danger you're in."

"Yeah, great plan," James muttered.

Knowing James had every right to be angry with her, she continued. "It was dumb, and I acknowledge you're both upset with me. I hate to tell you this, but we've got worse problems now." She cringed as she thought how her stupid disguise had drawn both Jessie and James farther into danger. "We need to act quickly, because we're only half a step ahead right now."

James didn't want to believe Cassidy, but couldn't deny the urgency in her voice. He cautiously responded, "So what happened?"

"I'm not comfortable telling you over the phone, but it's important I tell you soon."

James shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, realizing that Cassidy wasn't lying. He hated the feeling that Team Rocket might be after him. "Jessie's taking a final right now, but she plans on coming back here when she's through."

"Alright," Cassidy began while calculating plans in her head. "I'm going to go by her and my apartment and start packing up valuable belongings. What time do you think she'll be back?"

"I think she said three hours."

"Then we'll meet you at your apartment in three hours." She replied. "I know you don't like me right now, but thank you for giving me a chance to explain."

Still angry, James muttered an insincere "You're welcome," and hung up the phone. "This isn't good, Growlie." The Pokemon could sense the insecure feeling in his master's voice and curled up in James's lap, ready to protect his master from anything.

Domino fidgeted slightly in her chair while keeping her face straight. After calling all of the highest ranking members of Team Rocket she had helped a few chosen grunts dispose of the body. It was exhausting work and she wanted sleep desperately, but more than that, she wanted revenge on the sick bastards that had anything to do with Giovanni's death. Five members, including herself, sat around the table. On'na led the group, since although she was far too old to head Team Rocket herself, her wisdom and commanding attitude made her a natural leader. On'na had ridiculed her son for a while, calling him names that Domino thought she had no right calling him, but the Black Tulip kept her composure through the whole meeting.

"Now," On'na's commanding voice resounded, "It is imperative that we elect a new leader. We cannot allow the team to go without formal leadership for any period of time. It would only cause chaos, which is the worst thing we can allow to happen. Although this may seem like a foolish thing, I believe agent double-oh-nine is the best candidate for the position. I know she seems young, but it is important we put someone in power who is able to maintain it for quite some time." On'na looked at Domino, who was attempting to keep a straight face, "I will personally train you for a time, helping you undertake all of the duties of the Team."

Domino was stunned. She hadn't even imagined the possibility of who would lead the Team, much less pictured herself in the position of power. She lowered her head, "I would be honored to train underneath you, On'na boss."

On'na let out a sickingly twisted smile. "And what shall your first order of business?"

Domino lifted her head and flames filled her eyes, "To exterminate those who have ungraciously defected from the team, either in the past or recently." A deep laugh came from within and she slammed her fist upon the table. "We will **not** allow the Great Team Rocket to be disgraced."

* * *

Oooh Domino sounds pissed, don't she? I had a hard time deciding whether to go with On'na as Madame Boss's name, or make up one. I know On'na isn't exactly _correct_ usage, but I like it. And On'na won't be the only character from a radio drama making a special appearance ;) 

In case you were wondering, the song James is singing is _Staring You in the Face_ by Eric Stuart (who played James from episode 8 until 4Kids lost the dubbing rights, and is the ONLY James in my book). It's a great song, and Eric Stuart's not a bad singer. He has a Myspace if you want to hear some of his stuff.


	17. A Way Out

One more chapter for tonight!

* * *

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Cassidy asked anxiously.

"Good enough," Butch grunted. Normally, he would have loved the special attention from the usually emotionless Cassidy, but he knew that there were much bigger problems at hand presently. His head still hurt, but it wasn't painful enough to interfere with his motor skills. "I could use something for this headache, though," he confessed. "There should be something in the cabinet in the kitchen."

Cassidy's mind was racing. She assumed that whatever Team Rocket was planning, they would be targeted soon. It would be imperative for the four of them to leave town by nightfall, but being as thought the town was knee-deep in Rocket activity, she didn't know how it could be done without detection. She took the pills to Butch, who was trying to pack a suitcase with what he deemed to be essential. "Butch, we're not moving, we're just taking the bare minimum."

Butch knew Cassidy would get onto him for how much he had, so he began to pull a few shirts back out of the suitcase. Deciding on a few outfits and basic essentials besides that, he looked at his half empty suitcase. "Is that good enough," he said dejectedly, wanting all the things he would be leaving behind.

"I think so," Cassidy said, trying to concentrate on other things they could possibly take. "We need to get to my apartment. Have anything we could use to disguise ourselves?"

Butch wasn't one for disguises, but he produced two hoodies. "We can cover a majority of our faces with these," he suggested.

"Good enough," Cassidy replied and pulled the hooded sweatshirt over her head. "We've only got an hour and a half before we need to meet Jessie and James. Let's get going."

James sat with his own two suitcases, trying to decide what to do. If things were truly as bad as Cassidy had hinted and they all needed to leave town, they would probably use his car. That also meant four people's worth of stuff would have to fit in his trunk. The thought made him immediately wish he had taken a bigger car from his parent's garage. While consolidating the materials from three suitcases into one, he feared the worst.

Cassidy didn't have too much trouble deciding what she would need, but had trouble packing Jessie's belongings. Being as the two had never spent copious amounts of time together, she didn't know which of Jessie's possessions would be the best. She packed the sturdiest looking outfits she saw out of Jessie's clothes, and packed what toiletries she thought was standard for any female. Noticing there was a little more room in the suitcase, she packed up Jessie's laptop and one more thing, an old shriveled up rose put in a plastic box with tissues to help it stay safe. Butch was on the couch in the living room, looking at maps and trying to figure out the best place to go.

"YOU NIMROD!" Jessie bellowed, reminiscent of what James considered the 'old Jessie'. "You told her she could meet us?! Here?!" Jessie had gotten done with her test early, and was greeted by a nervous James who told her of their coming guests.

James put his hands on Jessie's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "It's not like she doesn't know where the apartment is. If this was a trick, she would have ambushed us, not done it this way. That's not Cassidy's style."

Jessie couldn't help but somewhat agree. Cassidy would most definitely consider herself above such an obvious trap. The redhead took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. "How do we know she's telling us the truth?"

James threw his hands in the air, tired of trying to reason. "We don't know anything. We never know if anyone is telling the truth, though. I think it's best to at least hear her out, in case we are in immediate danger."

Jessie fumed once more, knowing James had won by logic. "Fine! I still don't want to see that little tramp, but if it will make you feel better." Her eyes shot obvious daggers at James.

James gave Jessie a hard look back. "I think we need to admit the distinct possibility that we may be forced to leave. If what Cassidy warns is even halfway true, we'll need to get out of Viridian." Following his parents' death, James had become a little more assertive, something that surprised Jessie.

Jessie sighed and lay back on the couch. "I don't want to be on the run. The last thing I want is to fear for my life every day.

James wanted to be a voice of comfort, but knew to do so would be lying. "Hopefully it won't come to that," he replied while sinking back into the couch besides Jessie. He wondered if it would be inappropriate to put his arm around her, but a rap on the door interrupted his internal questioning.

James opened the door, and a frazzled Cassidy and Butch and their suitcases entered the apartment. "Wow," James began, noticing the lacerations on Butch's neck and the wrap around his arm, "Did that happen recently?"

"Too recently," Butch answered. "We'll tell you soon enough though.

James's breath caught a little. If Butch had already sustained what looked like to be decent injury, things must not be great. "Can I get you anything?" he asked nervously.

"No, let's get down to business," Cassidy commanded. After all were sitting close together in the living room, Cassidy began.

"First of all, I owe both of you a major apology for last night. Butch and I had received orders to exterminate you, James, and we didn't want to." Cassidy knew that if she was blunt, she would get her point across much better than if she were to try to sugar coat it. "We figured that if you could be scared into leaving Viridian, the Boss," she paused for a moment, wondering whether to correct herself, but decided that part of the story would come later, "would lose interest and decide you could be spared. Originally, I was going to dress up as Jessie and simply warn you it was for your best interest to leave town, but once I knew that Jessie was coming to your apartment last night, I panicked and tried to scare you off because Jessie had once told me you were fairly prude."

James blushed a little at the comment. "But why did you have to come as Jessie. Why didn't you and Butch just come and tell me. I would have listened."

Butch cut in this time, "We realize that now, but at the time we didn't think you would listen to us, and we thought Jessie would be the best person for you to listen to." He hung his head slightly. "We had never been ordered to kill anyone before and were distraught at the idea."

Jessie sat up. "Apology **not** accepted, but I suppose I can see your way of thinking, even if it was flawed." She shot a look at Cassidy.

Cassidy bit her tongue in order to keep from commenting back and Butch continued the story. "Last night after Cassidy came here to perform her masquerade, I decided to go file some paperwork at headquarters. I accidentally pulled the wrong file, but couldn't help but look at it out of curiosity."

Jessie and James both nodded along, understanding the feeling of being curious about inner Team Rocket secrets.

"When I looked closer at the contents of the folder, I realized the main components were orders for both my and Cassidy's death. Hers for harboring a traitor, and mine for being an accomplice."

Jessie bit her lip, but refrained from speaking.

"When I decided it was best for me to leave before something happened, Domino whacked me on the back of the head with some blunt object. I was knocked out for a while, but came to in one of the lower labs. I suppose she drug me there. Anyway, she was real pissed about having to watch me instead of doing some other important mission. They were holding me hostage so Cassidy would come and find me."

"Which I did," Cassidy cut in. "The thing I didn't realize, though, was that I was still disguised as you," she said, nodding toward Jessie. "I snuck into the lab and ambushed Domino, hoping to shoot her before she could shoot me. When I realized I was still a good impersonation of you, I knew I had some sort of special immunity. I asked to see Giovanni, and Domino took me to his office. On the way out, I slipped Butch a knife to cut himself free." Knowing things were about to get really strange, Cassidy took a deep breath before continuing. "Giovanni started acting really strange when he saw me. I've never seen him seem nervous before, but it all clicked. Jessie?" she asked nervously, "Did you ever contemplate the notion that Giovanni could be your father?"

Jessie looked stunned. "That's ridiculous!" she denied, but inside it all made sense. It was why she had kept her job when their team never brought any Pokemon. It was why she got a strange complete scholarship to Pokemon Tech, when only insanely rich students went there. It was why no one ever made an attempt on her life while she lived in Viridian after defecting, right under the nose of many Rockets. It all made sense, but that still didn't make her want to admit it as true.

James, noticing that Jessie was stunned and dealing with emotions, put her hand in his. It made sense to him as well, as strange as it all was.

Cassidy chose to continue, "After I made the realization, he told me that there was no way that me," she shook her head out of confusion, "err I mean, you, could live once finding out. He raised a gun to me and I had no choice. I shot first."

Jessie gasped a little, "You….murdered…Giovanni?"

Cassidy nodded solemnly. "As you," she added while looking at the floor.

"So now all four of us are wanted, I'm sure," James concluded. "That's why we need to skip town."

"Right," Butch agreed. "And it needs to be soon. The Rockets were bound to take a little time to regroup, which is how we knew we were safe last night, but I'm sure they're already starting to reformulate what they're going to do."

"And I'm sure I know _who_ is at the top of that 'to-do' list." Jessie whispered. She wrapped her other hand around James's hand, tightening her body due to fear. This was the last thing she wanted to hear.

"Where will we go?" James asked.

"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Cassidy sighed. We've come up with several solutions, but the place we think we should head now is Pallet.

Jessie laughed, "Pallet Town?! What are we going to do there? Finally catch that damn Pikachu?"

"No," Cassidy said. "But it is for Pokemon. All of us are underequipped to battle Team Rocket. We need to see Professor Oak and get some sort of backup plan."

Jessie laughed. "Fat chance of him wanting to give us some Pokemon. I'm sure he'll just be falling over himself to give them to us."

"Not us, he wouldn't," Butch said. "But I'm sure he knows that you two defected and helped out in placing a major blow to the Team before. It's worth a try."

James was about to agree, but a sudden bang made all four jump.

"Drop everything and hit the floor!" A class A Rocket yelled. All four dropped to the ground and said their separate prayers as a warning shot was fired in the air.

* * *

Yeah, I know a bit of it was recap, but that's just the way it is. Deal with it. You didn't pay for it or anything ;)

Another tense ending :D Dunno when the next chapter will be up, I have an Organic Chemistry test this week that requires my dedication. I may write to distract myself occasionally though!


	18. Escape

Alright another chapter. I'm at home, a totally different writing environment, so I'm not sure what's gonna happen...

* * *

Laying face down on the floor, each member tried to contain their own thoughts. Butch was trying to look up at the Rocket member in the room, hoping finding out an identity would be to his advantage. Cassidy glanced within arm's reach for something she could use for a weapon. Jessie was in tears, sure this was the end of her. James, however, was searching for something else. His eyes scanned the room and hoped that he would be able to find what he was looking for.

"As much as it would please me to do in such traitors," the masked class A agent began."I have been instructed that I'm not allowed to. There's another member that would be much better suited to do such a deed." He went over to the four bodies on the ground and checked for weapons. "I want you all to stand up." The four started to rise. "Slowly!" he commanded.

James continued to look about the room. Just as he suspected, Growlie lay in the corner, waiting for James to signal him. With a small jerk of his head, James commanded the dog Pokemon.

Growlithe stealthily crawled closer to the agent, trying his hardest not to make a noise. When he was close enough to the assailant, he sprung into action, going for the hand that held the gun. All in the room collectively gasped when a second gunshot went out, quickly followed by a yelp.

Domino smiled evilly toward On'na Boss. "It won't be long before the result of our plan is obvious."

On'na nodded in agreement. "And once these minor disturbances are out of the way, we can once again focus on bringing Team Rocket into the forefront as a force the Pokemon world will need to deal with."

"Of course." Domino said from behind Giovanni's desk. 'My desk,' she corrected herself. Although she seemed too small in stature to fill the large office chair, she couldn't help but feel the gratification of power. "Soon enough, On'na. Soon enough."

Upon hearing the yelp, James gave a worried look to Growlie, thinking it was his faithful Pokemon that had been shot. Growlie showed no signs of injury and was attempting to wrestle the Rocket member to the ground.

"Oh my gosh!" Jessie's words pierced the silence. Forgetting her command to stay still, she saw that Cassidy was losing blood and sped into action. Kneeling at Cassidy's side, she could see that Cassidy had been shot in the torso, almost two inches in on her side. Knowing enough to realize that the bullet most likely didn't penetrate anything vital, she sped to find out how bad it was. She sighed with relief, "It went straight through." Jessie knew this didn't mean Cassidy was out of the woods, but it was a little comfort.

Cassidy grunted in pain. The intensity of the pain blurred her vision and made her want to scream obscenities all around, but she looked Jessie in the eye. "We have to get out of here, Jessie."

Within seconds, Growlie had wrestled the Rocket to the ground. Butch and James found material to tie up the Rocket, while Jessie tore strips off the t-shirt she was wearing to tie around Cassidy's midsection. Hoping she could stop the bleeding, Jessie helped Cassidy roll onto her side and put hands on each side of Cassidy's flank and squeezed the two together. Cassidy said nothing, only trying to maintain consciousness and keep from screaming.

Knowing that James could finish the job by himself, Butch ran to Cassidy's side. "Cass," he gasped out, his voice full of concern. "Cass. Look at me."

Cassidy couldn't keep her mouth shut any longer, "You idiot! I'm not dead." She groaned and realized she was being harsh. "Sorry," she got out between gritted teeth.

"It's all right," Butch said, running his hands through Cassidy's hair. "I think you're allowed to be a little grouchy under the circumstances."

James finished tying knots around the Rocket member and joined the other two around Cassidy. "We need to get going," he advised. He handed Jessie his keys and pointed to where the pile of suitcases lay. "Go get the car and bring it around. We'll bring down Cassidy and the suitcase you can't get down there."

Jessie nodded and let Butch take over applying pressure to Cassidy's wounds. She moved to rinse some blood off of her hands before grabbing the two largest suitcases and racing down the stairs. She found the car that was in the appropriate parking space and put the suitcases in the trunk. She carefully backed the car out, as she had still yet learned how to drive properly, and moved slowly toward the spot that would be closer to the apartment. She waited a few minutes, and the other three came down, James carrying the last suitcase, and Butch carrying Cassidy. They had put a large t-shirt over Cassidy to cover as much of the trace of injury as possible. Jessie grabbed the suitcase from James and added it to the other two, while James aided Butch to arrange the backseat with Cassidy laying on her side and her head and Butch's lap. James moved toward the driver's seat and Jessie slid into the shotgun position.

James put the car into gear and looked at the passengers, "Before we head out, I need to stop somewhere."

Nobody contradicted James and the first part of their journey was made in peace. James stopped outside a small shopping district and sprinted outside of the car. The three other members sat quietly in the car while James ran into a small convenient store. He emerged a few minutes later with a triumphant smile on his face. "I figured we'd need some cash, and Team Rocket might be watching any possible cash flow." James showed an obvious pile of cash and stashed it in the glove compartment. Jessie nodded, but Butch and Cassidy both reacted with a bit of shock, neither knowing James's background. "Do we want to try Pallet?"

"I think we should probably try," Jessie speaking up for the group. It surprised James that Jessie would agree with an idea that had originally she had criticized before, but James didn't say anything but only began the few hour drive to Pallet.

Butch sat in the back seat, still putting his fingers through Cassidy's hair. Cassidy kept her eyes on Butch the whole time, afraid of what was to come, but glad she had him there with you. Cassidy leaned up as best she could without causing herself blinding pain and positioned herself to where she could whisper in Butch's ear. "I love you," she softly whispered. Her face contorted with pain again as she used wounded stomach muscles to lay back down in Butch's lap, but she smiled the best she could.

Tears slightly welled in Butch's eyes. Cassidy had said the words before, usually expressed through lust or passion, but she had never said it like that. She had never meant it. He looked her in the eyes and mouthed the words back, meaning them more than he ever had before. Somehow, Butch knew that everything would work out, even if it wasn't as they would prefer. He gently kissed Cassidy on the forehead, hoping he was right.

Jessie and James sat silently in front. James had turned on a local radio station shortly after leaving Viridian, hoping to get rid of the taunting silence. It hadn't really helped, but he didn't bother with doing anything else. Nervously rapping his fingers on the emergency break, Jessie wrapped her own hand around his. James smiled at her, happy for the human contact. He returned the grip tightly, almost seeming to sense and return the nervousness and tension she was feeling.

* * *

Home doesn't seem to be my best creative location, but I thought it was kinda kawaii and shippy. Shippy ain't so bad, although I really should get to moving the plot forward some. When I post more, I promise I'll get right on that :D 


	19. Pallet Town

Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter up. I was kinda uninspired on how to start it, and when I finally did, my computer crashed halfway through. THAT'S a way to kill your writing mood dead in it's tracks. Anyway...without further hesitation!

* * *

The ride to Pallet Town was a nervous one. The two former Team Rocket pairs were each in their own world, Jessie and James discussing more details about their pasts apart and Butch and Cassidy whispering plans of a future together, if they were going to be lucky enough to have futures. The color slightly returned to Cassidy's face as the ride went on, but she still cringed whenever she moved her trunk or James found a bump in the road.

In Pallet Town, the car stopped for a gas-up. Jessie made use of the woman's room, but Butch and Cassidy stayed in the vehicle. Once back on the road, the awkward silence between the front and back seats continued. Although each group realized they were in the situation together, they each had their own reservations to deal with.

Upon reaching Prof. Oak's lab, Jessie and James went alone to talk with the professor at first. Both exchanged nervous looks as James rapped on the door.

Both recognized the young man that answered the door, but both were surprised by his appearance. The last night the two had seen Tracey, he was very sturdily built with a youthful look. The few years that had passed for the young man had been good to him, as a toned appearance and chiseled facial features had replaced the boyish charm. Tracey recognized Jessie and James and well, and knowing of their departure from Team Rocket, was curious of the circumstances that brought them both to Professor Oak's doorstep. Allowing the two to come in, he also alerted Professor Oak to the fact that they had visitors. The Pokemon Professor was always eager to entertain guests and saved the document he was working on.

"Ah. Jessie and James. It's been a while. I hope you're staying clear from the criminal life?" the Professor teased.

"Well," James sighed, "we've managed to avoid being a part of it, but I think it has managed its way to us."

"Oh?" Professor Oak inquired.

"And we're not the only ones," Jessie continued. "Team Rocket has also put a price on the heads of another pair that you know."

"Oh. Cassidy and Hutch?" Tracey inquired.

"Cassidy and Butch," Jessie corrected. "Cassidy's injured. She was shot by a Rocket. You don't have to help us if you don't want to, Professor, but it would be nice if you would at least help us get her bandaged up a little better."

The Professor put his hand to his face and thought. "Although it would probably be a risk, you both did bring almost all Team Rocket activity to a halt two years ago. We'll at least get her fixed up a little better and then discuss our options."

Jessie thanked Professor Oak, and James made his way back to the car to help Butch carry in Cassidy.

Butch was glad to see James emerge. Even though it wasn't a hot day by any means, the car was beginning to feel might warm, especially with someone lying on your lap. James helped carefully ease a quiet Cassidy out of the back seat, and the two men carried her inside the lab.

Tracey had gathered all the supplies he thought might help, and cleared the biggest examining table they had for Cassidy. He assumed caring for wounds would be the same for a person or a Pokemon, just minus the tranquilizers.

Cassidy hated it all. She hated the fact that she was in pain, hated that everyone had to care for her, and most of all hated looking so weak in front of Butch. She truly did love Butch, but wanted to tell him at a happier time, not when she was afraid of her own mortality. She grumbled from pain and frustration when her skin touched the cool metal. Tracey left the group to go start dinner, and Professor Oak entered to see what he would be dealing with. Jessie moved to help the Professor, and Butch moved to the opposite side of the table and grasped Cassidy's hand.

"Whoever wrapped this actually did a very good job, all things considering," Professor Oak noted after removing the makeshift wrappings and exposed the still oozing wound.

Jessie blushed a little, "I almost went into nursing."

James, realizing he wasn't needed, headed toward the kitchen to see if he could be of any aide to Tracey. "Still working for the Professor?" he inquired, attempting to break the ice as best he could.

"More like training," Tracey answered, pulling a pot out from the cupboard. "I guess you could call me his protégé. I still sketch and observe, but it's more focused. What have you been up to since you gave up digging holes to catch a Pikachu?"

James cracked a smile at the insult. He hoped it meant that Tracey had forgiven him for his past actions. "Little bit of everything. My parents passed away not too long ago so I moved to Viridian for a fresh start. That lasted a long time," he ended sarcastically.

"That bad, huh?" Tracey said as he added noodles to boiling water. Dinner didn't take long to cook, as Tracey let the noodles boil while warming canned spaghetti sauce in a pan. James found the plates and silverware and set the table.

As dinner was being put out on the table, Professor Oak, Jessie, and Butch came in.

"How did it go?" James asked.

"Being as I'm no doctor, I have no way to tell what's going on other than the obvious wounds. I think those are set up to heal properly now. As long as the damage internally isn't too bad, she'll be fine. We moved her to the guest room so she can restore some energy," The Professor reported. "Now I'm willing to help you all, but I would prefer some sort of explanation."

Butch, Jessie, and James knew that Professor Oak had every right to an explanation, and the three took turns providing one. Oak never interrupted, but listened intently. Tracey followed suit, forgetting his dinner in the process.

"Why you are in a predicament," Professor Oak agreed with a small chuckle. "Other than offer you a bit of temporary shelter, what good can I do, though?"

Butch answered. "Now that we're effectively on our own, we don't have anything to fight back with."

"You mean Pokemon?" the Professor queried.

"Well, I have Growlie," James answered while pulling the Growlithe's Pokeball out of his pocket. "But that's about it. We all feel that using Pokemon to simply fight is wrong, but we our opponents don't feel that way. We need some method to at least play on their level. We know we can't stay here long without needlessly endangering your facilities, but if we could get some sort of support, it would be appreciated."

"I understand your argument," the Professor stated. "I'm not sure what I think, but we'll decide in the morning. I have some research it is imperative I finish tonight. The room Cassidy is in has a double bed and I bet you can talk Tracey into giving up his king size mattress for the night." With that, Professor Oak left the table to return to his personal study.

Tracey looked at those around the table, "he hates making decisions," was his weak excuse. "I'm sure he'll come around after he clears his mind and figures out a plan. I'll clean up the kitchen. I'm sure you all can use some sleep.

"Are you sure?" James asked.

"It's no problem," Tracey assured. "Go get some rest. I have a feeling it's something you won't be getting very much of in the future."

The three said their 'thank yous' and headed out to the trunk of the car to pull what they would need out of their suitcases. After grabbing supplies to make it until the morning, the three split up with Butch going to stay with Cassidy, leaving Jessie and James to share Tracey's bed. Neither was going to argue about the situation, but both felt horribly awkward doing so.

Butch cautiously entered the room, sure Cassidy would be asleep. He could tell by her breathing patterns she wasn't, however. She didn't say anything to him, so he went to the nearest bathroom to clean up for the night. After returning and stripping to his boxers, he lightly kissed her forehead before crawling in on the other side of the bed. After he couldn't stand the silence anymore, he turned to look at her. She was laying on her uninjured side with her back to him. "Cass?" he asked quietly. He could tell she was still awake, but still said her name cautiously.

"What?" Cassie mumbled.

"Cass," he said again, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. Her body cringed a little but he continued. "I know you're upset. There's nothing that makes you feel worse than when you feel useless."

Cassidy wanted to turn and glare at him, but the pain would allow it. "Useless?" she asked bitterly. "Is that all I am to you? Poor useless Cassidy?"

Butch bit his tongue and climbed out of bed again so he could face her. Kneeling at her side and lightly pulling up her chin so she would look at him, he tried to calm her down. "You know I didn't mean that, Cassidy. I don't think you're useless, but I can tell you're feeling pretty down on yourself."

"Hell yes I'm feeling down on myself. I've screwed Jessie and James over, killed a man, put an entire organization after our heads, and managed to get shot, just so we'll be slowed up enough that Team Rocket will probably catch us." Tears welled in her eyes. "So yeah, I'm feeling kinda shitty."

"Cassidy," he said, his look going from compassion to a harder look. "I understand. I really do. We've all managed to screw things up on way or another recently, but we can't dwell on it. We have to face the fact that Team Rocket is out to get us. Trust me, it hurts me so much to see you in pain, but you can't just give up, we still have to fight. We still have to win."

"You don't understand how I feel, Butch."

Butch couldn't keep the patience anymore. "Fine, maybe I don't. I do know that you've got three people counting on you to do your best _whatever_ that best is." Butch went back to his side of the bed and lay down. If she was going to play games, he could shove them right back in her face. He hoped he would be able to stay awake long enough to contemplate the day's events, but his own fatigue and lack of healing from his own injuries weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't keep from drifting off. He didn't feel when Cassidy grunted in pain as she moved to her back before touching a hand to his arm.

"I'm sorry Butch," she apologized softly.

Jerked from near sleep, he looked at her. "I'm sorry too Cassidy. This is not a time for us to be arguing." He wanted to hug her, but thought better and grabbed her hand instead. No more words were spoken as the couple went to sleep, hoping the coming days would not be too harsh.

* * *

So I totally dig the idea that Tracey could have turned out to be a hunk. I debated about including eldershipping (because I'm totally a believer!) but I figured the plot could get confusing enough. Next chapter will hopefully get back to some Team Rocket baddies, as well as fill my weekly cute Rocketshipping quota...should be fun! 


	20. Massages

Alright...Chapter 20?! Holy crap! All the way to 20. Unfortunately I had little inspiration while I was writing, because I was at work and listening to the OU game coming from the TV in the great hall, accompanied by plenty of screaming.

Special thanks to Thorned Rose, who took it upon herself to take this crazy Okie's writing and attempting to make it fit for people to read (there's a reason I'm a science major ;) ).

Also special kudos to my little bro once again, where a character name comes from. Love ya, bro!

* * *

Once again, Domino was furious. Idly flipping a pencil between her fingers, she looked out at the Rocket across the desk from her. "You're an idiot," she started coolly. "I armed you with a gun, and those four incompetent deserters were able to get away. We've lost valuable time waiting for you to return, only to find out that you were tied up in an apartment. How are we supposed to function as a Team if I can't trust you with the simplest of tasks?"

Jed, the insulted Rocket in question, was stunned. When he had first heard of Domino's takeover, he hadn't been sure if he would like it. Now he was sure he didn't. Trying to match his coolness to hers, he carefully responded. "It still was four against one. I did manage to get one shot off." That part was true, he just didn't mention the circumstances and that it had been accidental.

Domino rolled her eyes. "'Almost succeeding' does me no good. They know far too much. We can't afford a hit similar to last time," she responded icily. "Now, I should demote you to a grunt, but I'm going to give you one final chance," she started while leaning over the table slightly. "Find out the whereabouts of those fools and get rid of them before they can harm us even further."

Awkwardly Jed nodded and remained seated, unsure if his meeting with Domino was complete.

"Now!" she roared. "Every second you waste here is another opportunity for them to escape from our grasp."

The young rockey scrambled to leave the office as quickly as he good, muttering respects as he left.

On'na stood from a shadowy corner of the room. "I knew you would make a suitable replacement. At first I failed to see the value in this effort, but I underestimated your deliciously devious mind." Even in her old age, On'na was as greedy as ever. Domino had held little interest in large sums of money, whereas On'na to agreed to her desire for revenge when reminded of a family fortune that could be drained. Both women were in silence, each thinking of the personal satisfaction their mission would produce when it became successful.

--

"Where will we go next?" Jessie asked uncertainly. She was toweling off her hair following a shower, while James was poised for writing down possible plans in a notebook.

"I really have no idea," James replied, and started doodling on the page the notebook lay open at. "I would suggest moving to a region with little Rocket activity."

"Sinnoh or Hoenn?" Jessie questioned. There were a few other regions with small amounts of Rocket activity, but they were farther away and much more difficult for them to travel to.

"Either is fine with me. There are towns in each I know we would do best to avoid, however." Once again, James found himself resenting his family's fortune.

Jessie simply nodded. "It might be better if we went somewhere fairly large, giving us a chance to blend in?"

"That sounds reasonable," James agreed. "How about somewhere like Jublife City? It's big enough to offer anonymity."

Jessie mulled the thought over, "Sounds good to me. I've just got to get away from here."

"We'll discuss it with Butch and Cassidy in the morning." Immediately, the awkward silence fell into place between them. James continued to doodle in his notebook and Jessie finished readying herself for bed. She had one towel over her wet hair, and the other wrapped around her body. Knowing that James had seen her in her underwear before due to a lack of privacy in the woods, she slipped on a pair of sleep shorts and unwrapped the towel before putting on a shirt over her sports bra. She couldn't help but notice James's eyes locked to her in a mirror and she gave herself a mischievous grin while the cotton shirt shrouded her face. 'So he's interested,' she thought slyly to herself. She was interested in him as well, but Jessie also was a fan of mind games. 'Well, then I'll just make this fun,' she decided as she headed toward the bed. James had set up a small pallet on the floor for himself so Jessie could have the bed. Jessie moved to re-fold the blankets and put them over a chair.

"What are you doing?" James tried to casually ask while still sitting at the small computer desk.

"James," she tried to sound snappy without giggling a little. "We need to be in tip-top shape for the next few days, and sleeping on a lumpy floor is not an option when there's enough room in the bed."

"Alright," James replied, putting down his sketches and making sure to close the notebook. His simple doodles and geometric figures had changed into sketches of his former partner a few minutes ago, something he thought she didn't need to see. Like he had before, James made sure he would be sleeping on the top layer of the sheets so Jessie could sleep beneath them.

Jessie saw James's tactics and smiled as she turned around to remove the towel from her hair and run a comb through it. He really did look cute trying to be prim and proper. 'Maybe Jessiebelle did teach him a thing or two,' she thought to herself. Returning to the bed, she also laid on top of the sheets before turning off the bedside lamp on her side. James's side was still on.

"Oh? Did you want on top of the covers?" he asked quietly while slipping underneath them and turning out his own light.

Jessie waited a few seconds until her eyes could adjust. There was ample moonlight coming in the room, so even though she couldn't see facial expressions, she could see the tenseness in James's body.

"You look tense," Jessie asked sweetly. "Do you need a massage?"

"Oh..no. I mean thank you, but it's alright," James stammered. The situation was awkward enough and he didn't want to intensify it.

"Oh I insist," Jessie provided while sitting up. "Sit up, James."

James did as he was told and turned his back to Jessie.

Jessie smiled at herself. She almost hated making him this uncomfortable, but she wasn't about to out and out say her feelings for him. It was cute to see him fidget too. "Oooh I can't give you a proper backrub with this scratchy shirt," she mused, having the shirt off James's torso before he knew what was happening. Jessie couldn't help but gawk a little at the muscles around his shoulders. "Somebody's been working out," she teased playfully while digging her palms into his back.

James was speechless. He untangled his arms from the shirt and laid it in his lap, glad his back was to Jessie. "Oh. Um…thanks," he responded to her comment. 'Does she know what she's doing to me?' he asked himself. He had always cared deeply for her and had imagined many scenarios where he had declared his love for her and she did the same. That had never happened, however, and all the feelings returned with a rush.  
Jessie worked on his shoulders for a while longer, paying special attention to the knotted areas. After a while, she stopped. "Alright! My turn!" she commanded with an almost mischievous tone in her voice. She turned around and removed her own shirt, her black sports bra being the only piece of clothing above her waist.

James waited until Jessie turned around and followed suit. The moonlight illuminated her skin perfectly and she almost had a certain glow about her. James looked up to the skies and sighed at whatever greater power had it in for him. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, moving his palms in small circular motions. She almost seemed to shiver at his touch, which made James wonder if she meant for this to be more than an innocent backrub. His mind didn't have the patience to contemplate the possibility as it began to wander to different things, with his hands partially following. He stopped when he realized that his had had slid under her bra strap, chastising himself for letting his hand stray. The fact that it was a black sports bra made his frustrations all the worse. For so long, he had seen her traipse around in little more than that, and as much as he liked to consider himself somewhat polite, he had had many fantasies involving situations similar to the one he was in currently. He gave the ceiling a second glance and mouthed a few choice words at whatever God, fate, time, or whatever was doing to him currently.

"Why did you stop?" Jessie asked coyly, looking over her shoulder. Even though her plan was to have a little fun, James was a good masseuse, something she wasn't going to miss out on.

James had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts; he hadn't realized his hands go limp in his lap. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled. "I had a cramp," he offered weakly. He returned his hands to her back and finished the backrub. "Was that alright?" he asked quietly.  
"Wonderful," Jessie murmured. She wasn't trying to play along, either. James had a wonderful touch. Turning around to face him, she almost bumped heads with him, and the two sat for a few seconds in a position where their faces were dangerously close to one another. Jessie fought the urge to kiss him, afraid she would scare him.  
James fought the urge as well and tried to turn away, but only succeeded in knocking foreheads with his former partner.

"Ow!" the two cried simultaneously.

"I'm so sorry! James nearly squealed.

"It's alright," Jessie reassured, rubbing her forehead. "Maybe it will help me sleep."

James laughed a little, although he still felt bad. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?" He had started the line jokingly, but wished he could take it back as soon as it had escaped his mouth.

Jessie smiled, "Oh would you? I'm sure it will help." She pulled her hair back from her forehead, allowing James a space to kiss.

James kicked himself again internally and leaned in for a small peck on her forehead.  
Jessie, at the last moment, raised her head and returned James with a small kiss on the lips. Acting as if nothing happened, she mumbled a 'goodnight' and retreated under the covers.

"You…you meant to do that?!" James questioned, still not quite sure that it had really happened.

Jessie flopped over to her side and pulled the covers close. "Perhaps," she added. James couldn't see, but she was blushing just as much as he was.  
Realizing she was done with socializing for the night, he carefully crawled under the sheets, noticing she was lying on top of them.

* * *

That was fun to write, although I kept having to leave it and come back to it. I'm pleased with it, though. Don't worry...I'll set up more plot! Probably not until the middle of the week, though. Stupid school ;)

And a second shout out to Thorned Rose. Yay for betas! I'd throw you a party if there weren't a freaking ocean in the way!


	21. A Realization

Chapter 21! Whee!

* * *

The first rays of morning began to hit the desk Professor Samuel Oak was working at. "Oh my," the mild mannered professor exclaimed while saving his progress on his research. It was not uncommon for the aging man to work through meals and late into the night, but he had kept working on this particular night to avoid thinking of other things. He finally turned off the computer he was working on and began his ritual for getting to sleep. As he lay in bed, Professor Oak began to piece together the issue. As much as he hated the idea of using Pokemon in merciless fights that went to the death on occasion, he couldn't deny that the four youth seeking temporary shelter in his lab needed his aide. Tossing and turning, he attempted to come to the best conclusion.

--

"You think you can hide from me?" Domino questioned after releasing a deep laugh. "Precious Pallet Town with good old Professor Oak," she continued to muse, "too bad I have the upper hand in this deck," she finished while placing her hand on the intercom and calling for Jed. She grumbled to herself that the incompetent Rocket should have been able to find this information out on his own, but she knew time was too precious in such a situation to squabble over small details.

"Hello?" the freshly awaken Rocket groggily mumbled.

"Out of bed, slob," Domino greeted coldly. "It's time for a road trip to Pallet Town."

--

Tracey was the first to awaken in the lab, which was no surprise. He quietly made his morning rounds with the Pokemon before moving to the kitchen to begin breakfast. He fried bacon quickly and efficiently, while making potato cakes in another pan. Pleased with his work, he began to whisk eggs in a separate bowl. He didn't hear the shuffle of someone else entering the kitchen.

"Smells good," Cassidy noted while leaning against a wall. Tracey jumped at her sudden entrance and dropped one of the eggs he was working with on the floor, making a slippery mess on the linoleum."Oh, I'm sorry," Cassidy apologized moving toward the cabinet to grab a paper towel.

"Don't worry about it! This isn't the first time it's happened," he assured while picking up the pieces of eggshell off the floor. Noticing that Cassidy was limping in an attempt to refrain from moving her core muscles at all, Tracey couldn't help but comment. "I'll take care of it. Why don't you just sit down and work those muscles out slowly."

Cassidy offered a weak smile, forcing herself to understand that Tracey was trying to help, not call her useless. She let herself be ushered by Tracey back to a chair and watched as he sopped up the eggy mess on the floor.

Tracey pulled the rest of the potatoes and bacon off the stove top and put them in the oven to warm. He didn't know when everyone else would awaken, but he knew that Professor Oak always liked to eat with his guests, as he rarely had them. He put a napkin over the remaining eggs, because he knew he could cook those quickly. He noticed he was being observed. "You're never going to stretch those sore muscles out by gawking at me." He moved over behind her and placed her hands near the bandaged wound. "Feel how tense those muscles are? They're damaged and trying to repair themselves. Since it seems you need to be in the best physical shape you can, you need to do all you can to help them get stronger without damaging them further."

"Thank you," she mumbled uncomfortably. Although her action two nights ago seemed contradictory, she was very cautious about another man having his hand on her. Before meeting Butch, she had been in several abusive relationships and those thoughts often ran through her head. Trying to nonchalantly brush his hand off her abdomen, she offered him another small smile. "What would be best right now to help?"

"Hmm," Tracey contemplated, "keep in mind that I work with Pokemon, but just small exercises and movements are best. Try leaning over your lap while sitting to touch the floor. He scooted out Cassidy's chair so she could try it?.

Normally, Cassidy would laugh at the apparent simplicity of the action, but as her muscles contracted in her abdomen she let out a small grunt in pain. Not wanting to look weak, she continued to lean forward, biting her lip until she nearly drew blood.

"Don't kill yourself," Tracey advised while helping her sit straight up. "Maybe smaller movements like side bends?" He demonstrated the small movement at the waist and motioned for her to try. Cassidy made a small movement and contorted her face in the discomfort.

"Alright?" Tracey asked nervously.

"Yeah, just have to deal with the pain," she grunted between clenched teeth as she finished the movement. Proud of her slight accomplishment she showed him a real smile for the first time that morning. "See?"

Tracey nodded and laughed. "Yes, I do. But can you do it the other way and elongate those injured muscles?" He had debated challenging her, because he knew she would attempt it, but he couldn't help but offer the playful banter.

"Hmph," Cassidy grunted to him in disapproval and began to move slightly to the other side. Stretching the muscles hurt much worse than the other movement had, but her own stubbornness made her continue, until she felt that the damaged fibers would burst if she moved any further.

Tracey noticed her visible distress and moved to help her. "No, let me do it," she braced herself against the table and chair and tried to return to a sitting position. Her hand slipped from the tabletop and she tumbled to the floor. She didn't resist as Tracey wrapped his arms around her and returned her to the chair, but remained quiet, frustrated and nursing a massively injured sense of pride.

"I'm sorry," Tracey offered. "I shouldn't have egged you on like that."

Cassidy continued to sit motionless. The pain in her side was immense, that she barely noticed the blood oozing from her lip where she had bit when she hit the ground. She chose to ignore Tracey's presence next to her, but applied a wrapped ice cube to her lip where the swelling was beginning to form.

The young researcher scooted closer to the woman and gave her a hug the best he knew how. "You'll get it. Most people wouldn't even have the courage to try." Seeing that she wasn't buying his words, he continued. "It's true. You were _shot_ yesterday, yet you walked in here by yourself this morning with no aide and held your own. You certainly don't have a full range of motion, but you're functioning."

The ex-Rocket rolled her eyes, "I'm functioning, but I'm barely doing so. I'm a pathetic excuse."

Tracey looked her in the eyes. "You are not an excuse. You're a strong and beautiful," he was in shock at himself 'did I just say that?' he thought, but he continued to try to play the slip of tongue off as a simple compliment, "young woman. You can't get down on yourself, because neither you nor your three partners cannot function without you. They'll cover for your injuries, but you have to meet them halfway."

Cassidy was coming up with a snappy comeback for the sappy speech but stopped mid-thought. This was about the same thing Butch had tried to tell her the night before. Maybe it was time she try to stop feeling sorry for herself and admit that she was physically limited for the time being. No one around her thought less of her or judged her about her condition but herself. She swallowed her pride and looked Tracey square in the eyes. "You're right," she agreed.

Tracey's eyes grew wide, "I am?" he questioned aloud without thought. "Well I mean, I meant what I said, but people usually don't listen to advice like that."

Cassidy smiled at his slight awkwardness. "You're a good guy, Tracey."

Jessie waltzed in the room and noticed the scene of the two sitting close together, "I should have known you would have used the pity card to get you anything," the redhead teased while sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

"Can it, Princess Jess," Cassidy snapped with the truthful and honest side she had just shown being replaced by her usual cool attitude.

"Women," Tracey mumbled while he moved toward the fridge to get something to drink.

* * *

I know it's short, but I just wanted to get Cassidy to a point where she wasn't being so whiney. More thanks to my wonderful beta, Thorned Rose and for her help in getting Cassidy to a point where I felt more comfortable with her! I'll move the plot along sometime, I'm sure laughs. 

Hopefully I'll write more tonight. Hopefully...


	22. A Sacrifice

My apologies for this chapter taking a while to find it's way out of my mind. The characters kept getting away from me, and I had to bring the plot back around. Hopefully I'll all come out!

* * *

Breakfast was consumed mostly in silence by each member around the table. Only the occasional requests to pass certain items or to compliment Tracey on his cooking were said. The four former Rockets waited for Professor Oak to begin a conversation, as the proverbial ball was in his court. Jessie and Cassidy were both very uncomfortable with the silence, as both were accustomed to having the control in most situations. Both females took the frustration out on their meals, stabbing their eggs and potatoes angrily. Butch and James gave one another knowing looks in response to the female aggravation happening on the opposite side of the table. 

Professor Oak finished his own meal and left the room. The remaining members all stared at one another, none voicing the obvious questions. Jessie was the first to finally say her feelings. "Is he always like this, Tracey?" her question clipped short by the impatient tone.

"Not usually. He must really be having a hard time with this decision."

Jessie knew she had no grounds to further insult the Professor and dropped the topic. She turned to face Cassidy and Butch, "How does the Sinnoh region sound? James and I discussed perhaps going to Jublife City."

"Sounds good to me," Butch agreed.

"I've heard of it, but I don't know anything of it, really," Cassidy admitted. "But Sinnoh sounds far enough away to hide for a while."

"Then it's settled," James concluded. "Well head out as soon as we hear from Professor Oak."

Almost like he could hear his name from the other room, Professor Oak returned, setting a Pokeball in front of each of three of the former Rockets. "As a scientist," he began, "I am fully against this. As a fellow human, however, I understand your need. From seeing you fight personally and from conversations with a certain Ketchum boy, I have tried to pair you each with Pokemon I thought would fit your personal styles. Jessie, I have given you an Ariados, due to your knowledge of the poison-type as shown with previous Pokemon. Cassidy, I think a Bulbasaur would be suitable for you at the moment, as you are clever enough to use him to his full potential. A Bulbasaur will also be suitable for another reason, as they are very willing to help when able. Butch, I thought a Ditto would be a good addition for your team, and you seem very diverse and knowledgeable with various Pokemon. I trust that you each will give them the best care you are able."

The three recipients picked up their newfound allies and held them close. All three were impressed by the thought and strategy Professor Oak had put into his choices. "I don't know what to say," Jessie began softly. "We'll do our best, Professor." Cassidy and Butch both nodded in agreement.

"I know you will," the Professor concurred. "Why don't you go acquaint yourselves before you move along on your journeys?" The Professor chuckled to himself slightly, as this journey was going to vary significantly from the typical Pokemon trainer's.

The four former Rockets shuffled out of the dining area and went to the large backyard behind the Oak estate. Even though each knew of the gravity of their situation, Cassidy, Jessie, and Butch felt a sense of childish glee when they opened their Pokeballs to see their new allies. Jessie, was especially excited to see her Ariados appear before her. She quietly knelt down to the spider-type creature before her and carefully offered her hand. She let out a slight giggle as the Ariados's pedipalps ran over the extended arm. She moved to sitting cross-legged on the still moist ground and watched apprehensively as the Pokemon slowly crawled onto her lap and looked up at her. "I guess we're sticking together now, huh Ariados?"

James, with a freshly fed Growlie at his heels, stood behind Jessie, "Looks like a good match," Ariados looked up at James and shot a small piece of webbing at the man's face. "No fair!," James exclaimed, while trying to peel off the sticky string.

Jessie turned and laughed. "Yes, I think we're going to get along _very_ well," she said, giving the Pokemon a hug. Ariados chattered along happily, ecstatic to be with a seemingly nice trainer.

A few feet away, Cassidy tried to remember the moves that a Bulbasaur could use. "How about solar beam?" she questioned the Pokemon.

"Bulba," the Pokemon answered while nodding her head.

"Am I forgetting any moves?" Cassidy questioned aloud.

"Saur!" Bulbasuar used a vine and poked her trainer in the arm.

"Vine whip, how could I forget that." Cassidy said with a small smile. Those vines were the whole reason she received a Bulbasaur. She tried to ignore the resentment that this Pokemon was given to her because of her injuries, but her pride was slowly winning out. 'No, I can't wallow in pity right now, it's not fair to everyone else,' she tried to remind herself. In addition to being a personal aide, Bulbasaur could also be fierce in battle. 'Team Rocket won't know what hit them,' the young blonde decided with a smile, looking down to see the grass-type Pokemon slightly nuzzling her leg.

"You're a real card," Butch said to the Ditto happily bouncing in front of him.

"Ditto!" the Pokemon complied, immediately appearing to be a giant playing card.

"We're going to have to work on this idea of communication," Butch informed the ace of diamonds in front of him.

"Ditto?" a sad voice questioned after the pink amorphous creature reappeared.

"It's alright, we'll figure it out," Butch reassured while petting the creature on the head.

--

Jed entered Pallet town sick of the silence in the car, as his temporary partner had not volunteered a word since starting the mission. Jed was hoping for one of the agents he typically worked with, but they were all out on assignment. Domino didn't want to send out all of the agents available, so she had paired Jed with an office agent with field experience. The young man quietly accepted the command and had retained the silence.

"Is this your first mission in a while?" Jed finally asked, breaking the silence before his sanity was sacrificed.

"Sort of," the brown haired male shrugged.

"Ever been here before?"

"No," his companion answered, picking fuzz pieces off his gloves and staring out the window.

Jed parked the car several block away from the Oak Research Lab, as he had been directed. He didn't notice another vehicle making the same maneuver behind him.

"Ready?" Jed asked while taking a mental check before exiting the car.

"Let's go," his partner agreed while picking up his half of their supplies. An internal battle plagued the young man's mind and it wasn't eased as the two Rockets made their way to the lab. Neither paid attention to the figure following them.

--

"Come on back, Ariados," Jessie said, holding the Pokeball out in front of her. The spider-type disappeared with a red glow into the Pokeball, and Jessie attached it to a belt loop on her jeans. "It's been a while since I've carried one of these," she mused while heading upstairs to make sure James retrieved everything they had brought in from the car. Butch and Cassidy had already left the yard, as Cassidy had started feeling poorly a while ago and went to take a nap before they embarked. Professor Oak had returned to his studies and Tracey was performing various tasks around the building, trying not to interfere.

"Oh. Hi," James greeted when Jessie entered the bedroom. Now that he was alone with her again, he felt a blush creep over his cheeks, and he turned his attention to the small bag he was packing in order to prevent her from taking notice. He hadn't turned around fast enough to avoid Jessie noticing the pink flushing his cheeks, but he had turned quick enough that he didn't notice her similar blush.

The moment didn't last, as a yell came from the lower level of the lab. "You bastard!" Butch's voice croaked. "You came back for more?! I'm going to kill you with my bare hands this time." He hadn't gotten the second sentence out before Jessie and James both fled down the stairs to help their ally. Butch was standing off with the agent from the day before, a barrel of a gun being the thing between them.

"Don't make me do this," the agent warned Jessie and James, pushing the gun closer to Butch's forehead. James stood immobilized on the staircase, terrified of the scene playing out in front of him, but Jessie had taken a vested interest in a figure hidden in the doorway.

"Mondo!" she yelled in glee, before realizing why he would be there with another Rocket. Jessie's exclamation had been enough to cause Jed to swing his head around, giving Butch a chance to pounce his attacker. Being careful to hold back the arm containing the weapon, Butch wrestled the man to the ground. Mondo ran up and retrieved the gun from his partner, aiming it directly at Butch.

"Let him go," he demanded shakily. Unsure of his motivations, Mondo swung the gun between the inhabitants of the staircase and the two men entangled on the ground before him.

"What's going on?" Professor Oak asked entering the room from the lab followed by Tracey.

"Stay back," Mondo insisted, continuing to move the gun between all the inhabitants of the room. Tears stung his eyes. He had not been trained to handle this situation, and thoughts ran wild inside his head.

Jessie could see the indecisiveness in the young man's eyes and cautiously took a step down the stairs against James's advice. "Mondo," she said softly.

"I said don't move," he reiterated, pointing the gun at his former colleague. Jessie could hear his voice becoming less stable and continued her risky move. The other occupants of the room remained still.

"You're better than this, Mondo. I know you are." She could see almost a brightness pass through his eyes with the thoughts of the past, and she continued until she reached the floor. "You're better than Team Rocket, you always have been." She continued until she was arms length from him.

Mondo lowered the gun. He couldn't shoot his friend. Jessie had been one of the true friends he had ever had, as well as James. Nodding at Jessie with tearful eyes, he turned the gun toward Jed. "As long as you cooperate, I won't use this. Trust me, I don't want to." The shaky tone had left, and Mondo's calm tone alarmed Jed.

"You're making a mistake," Jed retorted, allowing Butch to pin his arms behind his back. "You'll receive the same fate they do."

A new voice entered the conversation. "Ironically enough, you'll reach that fate_before_ they do." Jessie tried to turn to see the origin of the voice, but the gunshot was heard first, and she turned just in time to see Mondo go limp and hit the floor, blood quickly soiling his white uniform.

* * *

Poor poor Mondo. He's such a cutie too :(

The usual shout outs, although this time, I sort of had someone shout back at me in a way. Thanks to my Kojiro for reminding me that I needed to get this all done ;)

And as always, praise to Thorned Rose, who keeps me sane (even though she's a funkiller! Seriously!) Without her proofreading, I'm sure I would look like an incoherent babbling fool!


	23. Resolutions

Tah-DAH! Chapter 23. I feel the winds a changing with this chapter. Let's see how it goes...

* * *

Cassidy heard the gunshot and quickly opened her eyes. The_ crack_ reverberated through the small room, and her body remembered the pain associated with the noise. Her hand flew to her previous injury and she threw off the covers to assess herself for damage. Once realizing she was fine, she tiptoed toward the closed door and strained to hear what was going on. She could hear voices, but not make out their words. She could hear James, Jessie, and Butch yell at someone, or something. Their tones appeared to be angry and fearful. A new cold voice joined the conversation. "Oh shit!" Cassidy whispered to herself. "Domino." Cassidy returned and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to quickly come up with a plan.

--

"Mondo!" Jessie had cried out as she knelt beside her friend. She saw where the bullet had entered, and knew Mondo had most likely died instantaneously. As she turned him over, cold lifeless eyes pierced the ceiling. She carefully removed her hands from the lifeless body and scrambled to her feet. Tears freely ran down her face as she prepared to lunge at Mondo's killer, "You had no right!" she screamed leaping toward Domino. James sprang into action, grabbing Jessie's blood-stained arms and pulled her close to him. The room erupted in boisterous noise with each member yelling at Domino, but she waved her gun menacingly to silence the inhabitants.

"Shhhh," James attempted to comfort Jessie, pulling her down to sit on the stairs. "She'll do the same to you."

The edges of Domino's mouth curled into a delicious smile, "Your little boy-toy there is right. He forgot one little part though; it's going to happen no matter what you do."

Jed pushed himself off of the floor and grabbed his gun from where it had clattered to the floor. He moved to Domino's side, trying to quell his nerves.

Domino glanced at the embarrassed agent beside her. "You are absolutely pathetic," she commented, rolling her eyes. "It is a good thing I caught my mistake about your partner," she added. All eyes locked on Domino and she leaned in close to Jessie's face. James tried to pull his partner back, but Domino waved her gun as a reminder of her power and plucked Jessie from James's hold. Jessie stood unsteadily, her whole body trembling in fear of what her fate would be. Pleads raced between James's eyes and her own, as neither saw a way out of the situation. Jessie dug her nails into her palms and resisted more tears as Domino shoved her to the floor. "Look at me," Domino commanded.

Jessie slowly brought up her eyes to meet those of her executioner. Domino had no remorse about her, and she looked comfortable pointing the cocked weapon directly at Jessie's forehead. "A life for a life." Domino commented.

"I didn't kill anyone," Jessie said, resolute strong in her voice. "I don't take sick pleasures by taking life from others."

"Tsk tsk, Jessie. No one believes that." Domino replied. "Perhaps I have received small amounts of satisfaction by ridding the world of traitors," she continued, nodding toward the corpse on the floor, "but I believe it was _you_ who murdered their own flesh and blood."

Jessie slowly regained some of her composure. She knew she could keep contesting the fact it had been her in headquarters, but it was a futile effort. She saw James preparing to pounce out of the corner of her vision and tried to maintain conversation to keep Domino at bay. "A real father figure he was, too. Only the best dads send their daughter's mother on pointless expeditions to get rid of them. Excuse me if I never bought him a Father's Day card."

James still sat crouched on the stairs, He almost sprang into action when a vine tapped him on the crown of his head. He glanced upwards at the second floor and saw Cassidy wave something at him. She tried to act out the object, pretending to stab herself with it and go slightly limp. 'Tranquilizer?' James mouthed. Cassidy grinned excitedly and passed the syringe to the Bulbasaur at her side. Quietly, the needle was passed down to James as Domino leaned in closer to Jessie. He had a tool to stop Domino, but that didn't solve the problem of Jed or the fully readied gun still aimed at Jessie's head.

Tracey and Professor Oak still watched from a doorway on the other side of the room. They saw James receive the syringe and watched the anguish on his face as he tried to determine what could be done. Tracey tried the only tactic he knew. "Killing her will do no good," he announced with all the strength he could muster.

Domino temporarily looked up, but did not change the position of her weapon. Jed, however, aimed his gun for the Pokemon sketcher. "What do you mean?" Domino demanded.

Tracey hadn't fully been prepared to explain further, but he did the best he could. "She's told us everything. You'll have to kill all of us."

Domino smiled once more, "That was already in the plans," she retorted, swinging the gun in Tracey's direction and firing. Simultaneously, the room sprang into action. Tracey grabbed Professor Oak and dove to the ground, James left his perched position on the staircase, grabbing Domino and injecting the serum into her thigh. Jessie pinned down Domino's arm holding the still smoldering gun, and Butch tackled Jed for a second time. Once Domino was still, James moved to help Butch. Cassidy Carefully carried Bulbasaur down the staircase and vines whipped around Jed until all movement was restricted. Tracey and a slightly limping Professor Oak came to the center of the room. All six members stood around Domino's unmoving figure and Jed wriggling in attempt to break free from the vines. The terror was over almost as quickly as it began, and the silence was appreciated by all members. The two former Rocket pairings clung one another tightly, and Tracey was wide eyed in astonishment. Professor Oak, however, had moved to the phone and began dialing the police.

Officer Jenny had come quickly along with officers to retrieve the two indisposed criminals in the front room, as well as a forensics team to retrieve the corpse. Officer Jenny took statements from each member involved. Butch and Cassidy had gone first, and then were transported to the local hospital so Cassidy could receive proper care for her injuries. Jessie was still visibly shaken from the incident, so Officer Jenny kept the preliminary statements short. Professor Oak and Tracey both agreed that the former Rockets were welcomed at the lab as long as they needed to stay. With recorded statements in her possession, Jenny returned to the station to file reports, saying she would be back later that evening. Tracey and the Professor were both shocked to learn that it wasn't even noon yet, and both men tried to resume what would be normal activities for the time being.

--

Jessie sat silent on the bed, still in shock over the morning. James had convinced her to take a shower in order to remove the sticky blood from her arms, but that was all she had done. When James entered the room fresh from his own shower he saw Jessie sitting on the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees. "It's over," he whispered to her, rubbing a hand in circles on her back. "We're safe."

Jessie's sapphire eyes turned to meet his gaze. "I can't get the images out of my head." Tears dripped from her chin as the thought of Mondo's corpse entered her head once more. With a shudder she added, "I was almost right there with him."

James carefully put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. "You weren't, though. You're here and safe." He held her as sobs shook her body, whispering in her ear and trying to comfort her any way he knew how. Fatigue finally plagued her body, and she lay somewhat still in his lap. With one hand still supporting her head, he pulled the comforter out the best he could and wrapped it around her tired frame. He gently slid himself under the cover as well and kissed her on the forehead. She snuggled up next to him and took comfort as their breathing patterns and heartbeats began to coincide.

--

Cassidy awoke and tried to shake her head to clear the grogginess from her head. Unsuccessful, she returned her head to the pillow and glanced around the room.

"Surprised to see you awake," a bubbly nurse said entering the room with equipment to record Cassidy's vitals.

Cassidy ignored the annoyingly vivacious nurse and looked around the room. "Where's Butch at?" she questioned, not aware she said it aloud.

"The green-haired guy? He left a few minutes ago and said he'd be back. We didn't think you'd wake up this early."

Cassidy gave up the fight with her heavy eyelids, and closed her eyes before continuing her questioning. "So everything's good, right?"

"Hunky dory!" the nurse chirped. Cassidy sighed at the chipper attitude. "A little shrapnel was removed from the wound, but you're previous care was good, all things considered." She hummed some as she went along her business of collecting numbers and readings. "I think there's a few things the doctor will want to discuss with you, but that's completely normal." She gathered her clipboard and supplies and bounced from the room, "get some more sleep, kay?" She left the room, and Cassidy couldn't help but giggle a familiar 'Hey! Watch where you're going' followed by a chirped 'Sorry!'

"Disgustingly cheerful people strike again, I see," Cassidy muttered as Butch attempted to keep the parts of his shirt covered in scalding coffee away from his skin. Upon hearing Cassidy's voice, he smiled and looked up at the bed. Cassidy once again fought the battle with her eyelids and looked up at Butch. Butch turned out the light to help Cassidy a little and she thanked him. "Think things are going to get better?" Cassidy asked quietly.

"Something tells me so," Butch said quietly. He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small box. "How about we start by getting hitched?" he questioned, showing her the ring.

Cassidy laughed, "That is entirely the most unromantic proposal I've ever heard of!" she criticized, giving him a playful slap on the arm. "But getting hitched sounds like a good idea," she said with a small laugh. She was losing her battle against the sedatives still in her system, but stayed awake for as long as she could. Butch slipped the ring on her finger, and she slipped into a deep slumber with a smile covering her face.

Fin.

* * *

Yup. That's it. I felt like it was a good place to end this story and put my mind to others. I'll probably write an epilogue tomorrow, but plot-wise, this story is done. Hope you enjoyed and leave a freaking comment people! Makes face at those that don't leave comments 


	24. Epilogue

And now onto the epilogue! I'm really sad about leaving these characters behind, but I think it's important to move on and broaden my horizons.

* * *

Professor Oak soon retired from his work in the lab, moving in with another inhabitant of Pallett. Tracey took over the lab and made many contributions to the Pokemon world, especially regarding research over emotional bonds created between Pokemon and their trainers.

With the information Officer Jenny had collected from Jessie, James, Butch, and Cassidy, she was able to effectively shut down Team Rocket. On'na refused to allow herself to see the end of her glorious team and committed suicide as swat teams broke in.

Domino was found guilty on many MANY charges and was allowed to rot in a maximum security prison. Jed was also found guilt, but was allowed parole after five years for good behavior. He quickly became a peace activist, but remained troubled by his past.

Butch and Cassidy did get married several months later. Due to scar tissue from the gunshot wound, Cassidy was incapable of bearing children. The two reverted to their belief in 'Love Power' and opened a small legitimate breeding center in Viridian. They work closely with Brock, who married the Jenny in town.

Jessie and James initially moved to Jublife City as planned, in order to get away from everything in the Kanto region. After Jessie's first semester back in school, the pair realized that they had been through too much with their friends. They moved back to Viridian, and Jessie continued her studies. She became a Pokeball technician who was associated with many improvements regarding the comfort of Pokemon inside of Pokeballs. It took years for James to build up the courage to ask Jessie's hand in marriage (as well as some alcohol and a big push from Butch and Brock). Jessie immediately accepted and the two had a fairytale wedding shortly afterwards. The two still reside in Viridian, next door to their best friends, and their twins, Miya and Mondo, are excitedly entering kindergarten soon.

* * *

I listened to Avril Lavigne's 'Anything but Ordinary' while writing this. It fit well shrugs. I'm sad to see these particular strains of characters go, but I've learned a lot in this writing experience. Thanks to my readers and please leave some thoughts.

As always, I owe my dedication to Thorned Rose for being there for me! Also to my own Kojiro, Zeke, for his patience and love. I'm happy to be your Musashi.


End file.
